Avatar: The Legend Of Anja
by Andysfire
Summary: Head canon regarding the next Avatar. Anja of Republic City who doesn't even know she is a bender. Follows her journey to master the four elements and an oncoming storm. Plenty to come, currently K But that might change. Still a work in progress.
1. The Announcement

Fire, Air, Water, _Earth_.

Over a decade had gone since the passing of Avatar Korra. She had accomplished a great deal in her many years and lived true to her word, always fighting to guide the world towards peace and balance. She left behind a legacy almost equal to that of Avatar Aang, the boy hero. He completed his training in less then a year, a feat that often took a minimum of ten, before he stopped a war that had raged for one hundred years. The Hundred Years War had become a distant bad memory for the world, having ended almost 160 years ago. Tensions were lower and the Air Nomads were well on the way to filling the temples again. The world had, seemingly, found balance.

Rays of light tickled the edges of Air Temple Island as the sun was hidden behind a passing cloud. A cool breeze circled through the training areas and gently embraced the several bodies that danced among the courtyard. Anja laughed lightly, spinning with the wind and the other Air Nomads. Orange robes swirled around her slim figure and loose chocolate waves hung gently to the base of her shoulders. Light reflected the soft joy in her sterling eyes as they met the eyes of her dancing partners. Her eyes met chestnut in Jinora, a pale aqua in Yangchen and silver met silver as her eyes locked onto Aang. She admired the familiar faces as they circled, flowing through the air like leaves in the wind. Anja danced on and on, never tiring. I was not until the clouds blocked all the light from the sun leaving her in darkness, that she ceased. Panic began to flow through her heart until she was thrust from the clutches of sleep.

Anja sat lightly and gazed out the window across Yue Bay as the first rays of light began to touch Air Temple Island and the spirits that danced in the water. The Nomads were already flitting about with training exercises and chores, some even on the shores meditating. There was a longing in her heart to be out there with them, to feel the freedom and peace that came with the culture and the sense of community that was solid through each and every Nomad and Acolyte, even though Acolytes were becoming fewer as Airbenders returned to the world. She felt a sense of familiarity as she watched two younger students circle each other with flaring movements that reminded her of the dance of her dream. It was the same dream each night, dancing on the Island in orange and saffron, moving with the wind.

The morning of her thirteenth birthday was dawning gently across the bay, giving the water an inviting and crystalline sheen. Spirits dove through the currents like the dolphin eels in her books. Some flew above the currents circling and playing like young children in a spring field. Over the years some had dared to approach the cliffs that bore her home but none like today. The spirits gathered and flew to her window as the last traces of sleep left her system. Anja laughed at the display of colour and the sense of freedom she felt. She pushed open the window to remove the cell like feel of the room and one of the spirits flitted in to her bedroom. It was a squishy, lime green spirit with forest green leaves atop its head. It leapt as though it was swimming in the air and danced over to her bed. One of the leaves sprouted forward to touch the center of her forehead. Anja felt her vision change and coalesce into thoughts that weren't her own. Gentle patterns of earth and water animated her thoughts with a familiar voice she couldn't quite grasp.  
"You'll do great today." It told her, a lasting word or two unintelligible before the vision was lost. Anja opened her eyes to see that all the spirits, save the soft green one in front of her had returned to dancing in the bay. Anja smiled to the spirit and bowed best she could before it fled her window to join its brethren.

Anja had grown up looking out that window, wishing she were an airbender, feeling an odd sense of familiarity with Avatar Aang's statue. A sense that felt stronger each night she shared in that same dream, teasing the back of her mind with the sensation she was not quite grasping onto a tidbit of information she ought to. She huffed gently as she heard the sounds of her home coming to life and left her window to greet her family. For the last few years she had been debating whether or not to tell them of her dream to live on the island, with her parents' blessing she could leave the moment her heart desired. The spirit's words rung through her heart. "You will do great today," it had said. Words that pushed her to decide that today, was the day she would ask.

"Anja, come out please." Her mother, Mae, called. Anja sighed and swept her chocolate hair into a bun so it was out of her face, although the strands that always fell to frame her didn't get the memo.

"Coming mum. Where is dad? I need to ask the two of you something important." Anja's heart was beating with anticipation of how her parents would react.

"He's in the kitchen but Anja make it quick, we have guests who will be here any second." Her mother continued rushing about tidying while her father cooked up a stack of pancakes on their stove. Her younger brother Kan was playing at his feet.

"Anja, sweetie what is it?" He asked with out looking, a little preoccupied.

"Well Dad, Mum, there is something I have wanted to ask for a while. I want to become an Air Acolyte, I would like to ask for your blessing." She tried to catch her father's eye but he was looking over her shoulder.  
"Mae, you want to take this one?" Li asked, sharing in something Anja wasn't. The group was interrupted by a knock on the door and Kan rushed off to see who the 'guests' were. "Saved by the knock," Li chuckled. "Our guests can take it I think love." He spoke gently to his wife. Mae shook her head at him before opening the door to greet the strangers.

"Master Lao, Master Hikari, it's a pleasure to welcome you into my home. Your timing, might I add, is perfect." Mae bowed in the Earth Kingdom tradition, left hand solid, right hand clenched, meeting at the palm. Her loose black hair falling to cover the golden skin of her face. Li came up behind her, his own pale skin in sharp contrast. He also bowed, but in the Fire Nation tradition, left hand solid, the right in a fist but meeting with the thumb at the base of the palm. Anja looked curiously at her parents. Her mother was all earth, literally as a bender and figuratively, she had the caramel complexion of the central Earth Kingdom and bright eyes that shone through her usually tidy black waves while her father was all fire. Li had the pale complexion and dark brown eyes of his ancestors as well as the height and odd demeanor. Her brother was a carbon copy of Li although he had their mother's golden yet green eyes and had been showing the early signs of a Firebender. Not for the first time Anja was curious as to how she fit with them. Her own eyes were of the rare silver variety. Her hair was a dark brown instead of black and her skin was a shade or so darker than her fathers. She was tall for her age but lacked any hint of muscle. She glanced uneasily around the door between the entryway and kitchen to see her parents and the two guests. They were deep in conversation but Anja's attention was on the robes of the strangers. They were a flowing navy decorated with a white floral pattern around the neck. Anja's breath hitched as she recognized the uniforms for what they were.

"Mother, Father what is the Order of the White Lotus doing here?" She asked gingerly, coming out a little further from her place to get a full view of the two. The first was easily Earth Kingdom; his rich green eyes gave him away instantly. The second had to be Fire Nation. She lacked the sense of ease most Water Tribesmen possessed and her skin was a light shade similar to her father's. The two looked at each other before stepping in-between her and her parents.  
"Anja?" They asked together gently. She nodded at her name. "I am Lao and this woman is Hikari. If you don't mind my asking, where have you heard the term 'White Lotus' before?" The man, Lao asked.

"In the histories, you aren't as secret as you used to be." She fought back the urge to laugh at the two, forcing it into a quizzical smile. The woman also appeared to be fighting laughter, the ringing sound still evident in her tone as she stepped closer again and spoke.

"Fair enough young one. We are masters of the Lotus, myself of fire and my esteemed colleague of earth and metal." Anja bowed gently,

"It's an honour, Masters Lao and Hikari." She came out of the bow to see Lao offering her an oddly pained look while Hikari gave her one of admiration.

She spoke gently in a tone that resembled honey, her hand on one of Anja's shoulders. "And you are the Avatar."


	2. Goodbyes

Anja's world spun rapidly. She looked from the woman in front of her to Lao, to her parents.  
"That's impossible, I'm not even a bender. There has to be a mistake." Her hands were shaking violently; Anja feared she might pass out.

"Now that is a part of the mystery." Lao laughed gently. "But there is no mistake Avatar Anja. You are indeed the one." Anja's head was still shaking.

"It can't be possible, I'm not even a bender, let alone an earth bender. How can I be the Avatar?" Her voice shook heavily. She looked to her father for a glimpse of help. She had to be going crazy.

"Actually, forgive the interruption Masters. It isn't a great mystery." To Anja's surprise it was her mother that spoke up. Mae stepped forward and gripped her daughter's shaking hands. "Anja, think for a moment for me. What was the hardest element for Roku?"

"Water." She replied monotonously.

"And Aang?" her mother pressed.

"Earth."  
"And what about Korra?" her tone was still light, that usual motherly character in place.

"Korra struggled with air and spirituality." Anja answered blankly. It wasn't hard to recall the histories she learned at school, it was hard to understand their relevance.

"And why were these elements so hard to learn?" Mae continued gently.

"Because they were most opposite culture to the Avatar's personality. I don't understand the relevance Mum." She whispered gently.

"Anja, what do you think is your most opposite element?" Hikari cut in, Mae's face scrunched and Anja had to fight to only smile.

"Earth." She said without thinking. The room was silent for a while before Anja understood. "Wait, can that happen? Can the Avatar be most opposed to their natural element?"

"Well, according to Varrick's Law, it was bound to happen at least once." Lao injected lightheartedly. Anja stared at him blankly before moving her eyes back to Hikari.

"So, I am an Earth-Cycle Avatar who cannot bend earth because she is most opposite to her native element." Anja nodded in comprehension before she burst out laughing hysterically. Everyone, including five-year-old Kan looked at her with odd expressions. "Mother, Father you really got me. Happy thirteenth birthday to me!" She turned out of the room, still shaking with laughter that was becoming more pained with each breath. Mae and Li looked towards each other sharing in that exasperated parental look before Li broke away and followed his daughter out of the room.

"Anja?" He called gently down the hall that led to her room.

"In here, Father." She responded, gazing at the temple through her window. She heard the door click behind her as her father entered. "You know if you didn't want me to go a simple no would have been fine Dad." She didn't turn to look at him. Her gaze held fast on the temple.

"Anja, look at me sweet heart." She was reluctant but turned her silver eyes onto her father's gold ones. "It wasn't a joke. Look at how much time you spend at this window wishing to be an acolyte. You have sat at this window since you were born. Don't think your mother and I would make a mockery of how much being an Acolyte would mean to you. You might just be our little girl but to the world you are Avatar Anja." He pulled her into a gentle hug, the tears in her eyes getting lost in his robes.

"But it is impossible. I am not an earth bender. I am not even _a _bender. I am not the Avatar, father. I would know." Anja pulled free of the embrace and removed her gaze back to the statue of Aang, a green blur floating around his staff. The spirit's words ran through her heart again, "You'll do great today," it had said, but what were the last words she hadn't caught. The second sounded similar to her name but she could not be sure.

"Anja. The White Lotus doesn't make mistakes on this scale. Somehow your connection to the elements isn't established but you are the Avatar. You passed all of the historical tests." Li sighed lightly, his patience wearing as thin as his breathing.

"Historical tests?" She asked, eyes locked on the green blur in the distance.

"In the Air Nomads, you are to pick four toys from a selection of a thousand. You picked the four Avatar relics. In the Water Tribes you are placed in a perfectly circular pool of water blessed by the spirits. The water ripples on regular children; on future benders it will ripple once before falling still but on the Avatar there is no disturbance in the water, given that the Avatar exists as a means of balance. In the Fire Nation the Sages of old use holy fire to read a person's heart. Since the Avatar contains two spirits it has a distinctly different aura, fire glows white not the usual orange. The Earth Kingdom was the only test that wasn't certain, it showed you as a candidate but could not confirm. The test involves placing you in a chamber with a Badgermole. They react distinctly between earth benders and non-benders but with the Avatar it first recognises you as a bender and then will bow as if in respect and conversation. It didn't label you as a bender as such but it did bow to you. The inconclusive nature of the test was why the other three were run."

"So my earthbending is out of balance with the rest of my spirit." She murmured, concentrating only on the blur she had since recognized as the spirit from that morning.

"Yes, that would make sense. Although the Earth Chakra is blocked by fear and you are too level headed for that Koala." Li continued, oblivious to his daughter being elsewhere. Anja trailed the spirit, her eyes locking with its own for a slim moment, her mind finally catching the last words she had missed.  
"You will do great today, _Avatar Anja._" The spirit had called her the Avatar. She drew in a sharp breath, feeling her world and her heart almost stop. She turned uneasily to her father.

"It is not fear that blocks my bending. It is my heart Dad. I have always rejected my Earthen heritage, I didn't want to follow in Mum's place as an Earth Bender, I've only ever wanted to be an Acolyte. An Avatar who is not at balance with themselves is not in balance with their elements so theoretically by denying my heritage I was denying my element." She finished with a gentle sigh. Her head was in understanding but her heart didn't want it to be true.

"Wisdom at such an age Koala," He laughed softly. "Come back out to the kitchen, Hikari wants to discuss some things with you." Anja nodded gently before following her father's instructions.

Hikari and her brother were seated at the table while her mother tried to salvage the pancakes that had been long forgotten.

"Avatar Anja, glad you could join us. Please sit." Hikari gestured at the place on her left. Anja took it without complaint, wincing slightly at the title. "I'm sure you have questions?" The young Firebender suggested.

"I do actually. Two of them, if, as you say I am the Avatar why don't I have an animal guide, Yangchen had Ketu, Roku had Fang, Aang had Appa and Korra had Naga so why don't I have one? And second, on Korra's passing she ordered the White Lotus to return to the old ways and announce the new Avatar on their sixteenth birthday. You are three years early Master Hikari." Anja hadn't meant to sound accusing but that's how her tone materialized, much too late for her to amend it.

"I am afraid I don't know the answer to the first, you are the first Avatar after the separation Korra underwent, and also the first to be opposed to her natural element, an era of firsts young Anja, an enigma. As for the second, we intervened to assist you in your training, most Avatars only had to learn three additional elements but since you haven't learned earth you must learn four elements. It has also come to our knowledge that a war might be on the horizon." Anja allowed the information to sink in, she thought back to the familiarity she often felt in history classes and in the statue beyond her window. Maybe the Spirit had only opened her eyes to the truth that teased her dream.

"Ok." She stated simply, drawing in a long, slow breath. Mae looked towards her daughter in surprise.

"Ok? You have just been told you are the Avatar and you respond with 'Ok?'" She couldn't help but wonder where her daughter got her levelheadedness that was neither earth nor fire in origin.

"Yes, Mother. Ok." Anja turned her gaze onto the Firebender. "If earth is first, where do I go? I don't particularly care to be locked in a compound like Korra was, if you don't mind." Her gaze became steel. Once Anja admitted to herself the truth of the matter, it became a much heavier reality. Hikari smiled at the young woman's strong sense of self. She would be a brilliant Avatar in her own time.

"Hardly, you will begin in Zaofu. The Beifong's always were the best of your nation. Your master is the great granddaughter of Wei, who was the grandson of Toph Beifong, the pioneer of Metalbending. You will be in capable hands." Hikari turned to the plate in front of her. Mae stiffened slightly, only slightly enough for Anja to notice but not really pay attention. She then asked the question she was most afraid to hear the answer to. She knew Roku's legend and knew what was coming.

"When?" She asked meekly, nearly choking on her word. Hikari apprehended her concern and wrapped a gentle arm around her shoulder.  
"You'll be in Zaofu by nightfall." She whispered calmly, feeling the girl go rigid under her arm.

Anja sat in her room, staring blankly at the bland expanse wondering what she could actually take. The Avatar wasn't supposed to have worldly possessions, not that Anja had many, she hadn't cared for them knowing that the Air Acolytes didn't. All she had was a bag filled with various clothing and money but she had no personal effects that she cared to take, save one. An old toy that she had assumed as her mothers, a wooden carving of a Frilled Nobi Turtle, complete with a delicate green shell. She heard a laugh rumble behind her.

"Trouble packing Koala?" Her mother cooed gently from the door. Anja turned to face her.

"A little, I don't know what I am meant to take, not that there is much." She glanced at her mother lightly, puzzled as she reached into her pocket.

"Hold out your hand Koala." She commanded, her fruity tone carrying its eternal motherly comfort. Anja obeyed, holding out her right hand to her mother. From her pocket, Mae produced a metal bracelet, half an inch thick, which was decorated with patterns of the four elements, on the underside was an animal she hadn't seen before, like a pig but not quite. She bent the metal gently in place around her daughter's wrist, locking the intricate clasp, and allowed it to fall into place on her wrist, where it sat as if it always had. "I was going to wait for you to turn 16 but since the Lotus haven't, neither will I." Mae leaned forward to kiss her daughter's hand gently. "Koala, saya cinta kamu." She whispered gently in the language of her parents.

"I love you too Mum." She pulled the gentle woman into a warm embrace before turning to close the bag. "I think I am ready." Anja offered one more glance at the Temple before turning to her mother and nodding. "Is Hikari here?" Mae shook her head. "Not Hikari, Master Jaya will escort you to Zaofu, two Earth Nation citizens will attract less attention on the way than an Earth and a Fire." Mae tugged gently at the black sash at her daughter's waist.

"Aunt Jaya? When did she join the White Lotus?" Anja turned her chin to look up at her mother.

"_Master _Jaya joined when we discovered you were the Avatar. So, at least ten years." Mae took the bag from her and helped her into the kitchen where Jaya was seated at the table completing a puzzle with Kan. She looked up and stood as the duo entered. Anja had an odd feeling at how her mother emphasized the 'master', as if Jaya wasn't her Aunt in the line of duty.

"Koala!" She stepped out from the table and enveloped Anja in an embrace. "Last time I saw you, you were at my waist, now you're nearly at my shoulders!" Jaya grinned gently before stepping across to Mae.

"Little Sister." Mae greeted sternly before warming into a grin. "It's been a while since I've seen you out of uniform, Master Jaya." Jaya laughed gently before tugging on her own tunic slightly.

"Green always did look better on me than navy, much to my displeasure. So I take it Anja is ready?" She glanced at her niece for a moment to gauge her reaction. Mae answered instead.

"Yes, Jaya, she is. You take care of my little girl." She added the last part for only Jaya's ears.

"Done." She responded just as quietly. Mae turned from her younger counterpart back to her daughter. "Be safe Anja."

"Come on Koala, the train won't wait for long." Jaya placed a gentle hand across Anja's shoulders before steering her to the door. Anja froze for a second before remembering something she had forgotten.  
"Aunt Jaya, can you give me a quick minute. There is something I've forgotten." Anja ran off before Jaya could respond. She ran back into her room to find a small leather necklace with a circular jade pendant hanging from it. In the center a square was carved out so it resembled the Earth Kingdom symbol for strength. She took the piece to her brother, who was still seated at the kitchen table.

"Kan, I want you to wear this for me." She said gently and she placed the necklace over her brother's head. "If you find yourself missing me just remember that there is strength in love. I love you, be safe." She kissed the boy's head gently as she returned to her aunt at the door. She didn't turn back to see the look of confusion on her brother's face or the tears that tickled the edge of his eyes, let alone the worry plain in every facet of her mother.

"Ok," She breathed gently. "I am ready."


	3. Through the Gates

Central City Station was much nicer than the Downtown District train house. The place oozed feelings of grandeur and the tracks were better maintained, shining delicately under the station lights.

"The 2:35 for Omashu is now boarding on track 5." A husky announcer called over the radio.

"Come Koala, that's us." Jaya collected the majority of their bags and approached the train.  
"But I thought we were going to Zaofu?" Anja asked quizzically.

"There are only two lines that run into Zaofu, the Omashu-Zaofu line and the Ba Sing Se-Zaofu line. Omashu is the quickest and has the best view. Lets go, its already 25 past 2." Jaya ushered her niece into a cart and placed their bags in the under seat compartment. Anja fiddled with her tunic, one her mother had picked while Jaya gazed out the window. Her clothing was unmistakably Earth Kingdom and it wasn't what she would usually wear. Her usual attire was a button up red tunic that was tied at her waist with an orange sash. Under it she would wear black pants and black boots. Today she wore an entirely foreign ensemble. She had traded her red tunic for a basil green one accented with hints of silver and lighter green that was fastened with a dark pine belt that held up pants of the same colour. The outfit was accompanied by brown boots that rose to her knees like her black ones but had a stranger feel to them. They felt sturdier, more solid. Of course no one could really see the green puddle she felt like. Over her tunic Anja wore a grey coat that hung to her knees. The coat fastened on the left and was cinched at the waist by a black sash. The coat she could handle but the excessive green would take some adjustment.

"Stop Koala." Jaya grumbled with out even looking. "Fidgeting isn't going to make the trip or the clothes feel better. Besides, the green really brings out your eyes." Anja looked at her curiously. "Jaya why though, why green?"

"Hush," Jaya lowered her voice in the hope their conversation would be as private as can be. "The green is a custom in the Earth Kingdom and it's less noticeable. That is part of why Hikari is not your escort. Clothes or no clothes, a trained eye can tell a person's nation in the simplest ways. A way of walking, in the eyes, in the hands. Blending in is easier than hiding out." Jaya wrapped a protective arm around Anja. She was still confused but gladly accepted the one armed hug.

Many hours passed but eventually the great city of Omashu loomed on the horizon, the rays of the afternoon sun leaving it in a beautiful glowing light. Anja stared out the window, her eyes and nose pressed against the glass. Jaya laughed behind her, having given up the window seat long ago. The young Avatar looked on in amazement as they passed through mountains upon mountains and finally into Greater Omashu Station. Jaya sighed as she stood to stretch out her legs.  
"Okay, Koala, time to change train again." Anja was ushered from the Republic train towards a sleeker magni-train that ran on the Zaofu line only, feeling like a chickensheep being rounded up by farmers. A man was at the checking station, monitoring all passengers boarding the train.  
"Name, business and Rank if applicable." The man ordered as Anja and Jaya approached. Anja stared blankly at the other station goers, ignoring the transaction between the two.  
"Jaya. My business to serve the Garden Gate." She softened her tone. "My ranking is Lotus Master, 3rd degree. This is Anja, she is my charge, first of May." She raised her tone on Anja's name, snapping her attention back to the exchange between Jaya and the teller. She wrinkled her nose slightly, 'First of Mae?' What did her mother have to do with this?

"Very well, Jaya, Anja. Zaofu welcomes you."

Anja and Jaya passed through the teller gate into the Zaofu terminal. The citizens of Zaofu had adapted their own trains for speed and reliability unlike the other cities of whom opted for general comfort and passenger quantity. The train was a gentle dark green like juniper leaves, accented with silver like her tunic. It breezed along the tracks with an animalistic ease reminiscent of a Komodotiger. Deserts eased into mountains and mountains eased into a glowing silver city. Zaofu rose up in the distance like a lotus offering its last salutations to the sun. Light danced about the flowering domes but didn't reflect in a blinding manner, giving the whole place an ethereal glow and sacred aura.

As the train eased into Zaofu Grand Station Anja eyed the crowds for whoever was supposed to be her master. Jaya tensed lightly beside her but gazed out the window alongside her niece. "Koala, its time. Stay close to me, but remember, this is work, I am Master not Aunt here." Jaya whispered softly in her ear before she gathered their bags and ushered Anja off the train over to a waiting party. There was a woman who was much older than Jaya and a man only a few years shy of her. Anja looked on in hushed amazement at the uncanny similarities between these people but dismissed them almost instantly. She turned her attentions onto her aunt and the rigid posture she now carried, she stood at attention but tension rolled off her in near tangible waves. The man regarded Jaya with a sense of reverence but the woman had only a thinly disguised layer of disgust to her demeanor. "Jaya, its good to see you." The man offered gently, his body opening slightly for hope of contact.

"You too, Moku." Jaya spared him a soft, nearly loving smile before hardening her gaze as she turned to the icy woman. "Ibu." Anja perked instantly. 'Mother?' She thought uneasily to herself. The woman spared her a fleeting look before returning to Jaya.

"Durjaya." She offered thinly.

"Come, Anja." Jaya called to her, silencing her curiosities with a piercing glance.

Anja followed in an irritated silence through the beautiful sunset streets. They were led into the main dome, which was lit by something more than the last dying rays of light.

"Jaya, you and the Avatar will be located in this building, make good use of it during your stay. I'm sure Jaya can help show you around it, Avatar Anja. You will greet Master Beifong at sunrise in the Beifong estate; Jaya will escort you. Make yourself at home here." Moku bowed at Anja before offering Jaya an apologetic look. "I wish I could say she will thaw eventually, but we both know I'd be lying." He took his leave and Jaya sighed deeply, tugging Anja gently into the building.

"Do not say a word Anja." Jaya harshly interjected as soon as the door closed. She rumbled through a bag before producing a detailed letter. Jaya passed it to her gently before ushering her to be quiet. Anja was confused beyond imagination and not to mention a little hurt, but read the parchment nonetheless.

_"__Anja, I know that by the time you read this many questions will run rampant in your head, but it is best you do not ask of them unless Jaya says otherwise. Your aunt and I left Zaofu in search of our own paths long ago for our own separate reasons. I wanted to see more of the world than your grandmother, Raja, wanted to allow, and Jaya, she always had her own way of being and it clashed largely with our mother. We had a younger brother though, Moku who was as beautiful as he was kind. He was one of the few who bore us no resentment in our decisions to leave. I'm sure you have several other questions regarding my ancestry in Zaofu and how we came to find Republic City. The answers to those questions are ones that must wait until Jaya offers them; it is a matter of your safety Koala. _

_Most important of all Koala, always address her as Master Jaya. In the city of Zaofu she is not your aunt. The world doesn't know that my daughter is the Avatar and it needs to stay that way. No one in Zaofu can know I am your mother Koala, no one. We abandoned the name for a reason. Destroy this when you are done. _

_Saya cinta kamu, putriku, Koala saya. Tolong percaya padaku dan percaya pada Jaya."_

"_I love you, my daughter, my Koala. Please trust me and trust in Jaya._" The words were an unwelcomed sting in her heart as she looked at the ones above them. "_No one can know I am your mother, we abandoned the name_." What were these strange things her mother was telling her? What name, what reason did she have? These words haunted her yes, but they were not what Anja was most angered by. "_Answers to those questions are ones that must wait until Jaya offers them." _Anja stared though a glassy wall of salt and resentment before she felt the paper being removed from her hands. She blinked a few times; angered at how so much was being kept from her, how this grand destiny of hers was already spiraling out of her control. For the first time she had understood Aang's motives in leaving the Southern Air Temple. Her gaze cleared slightly, only to see her aunt tossing a crumpled ball into a fire pit. She wanted to cry for the odd piece of her mother to be returned to her but Jaya's grim expression stopped her. Anja always found it relatively strange that she could infer so much detail from the woman's face but found it stranger still that a person could convey half a conversation in a simple expression. Jaya took a deep breath before addressing her niece.

"All in due time, Avatar Anja. Please, rest now, your training begins at sunrise."


	4. To be a Bender

"Anja." A familiar, female voice called to her gently. Anja was in a place she didn't recognise; it was a mountainous plain centered by a twisted, leafless tree. Ordinarily she would have panicked but a calm breeze washed over her, this place was, she felt, sacred. She turned to the voice only to step back as soon as she had. Standing before her was a tall woman, decorated in blue and brown attire. Her arms were covered wrist to shoulder in navy sleeves, her skin, where it showed was a warm chestnut. Blue eyes shone from between locks of dark chocolate hair and a crooked grin glowed through, this woman was Avatar Korra at, Anja assumed, 25. "Anja, it is a pleasure to finally greet you. It's lucky you have great spiritual potential, otherwise this would not be possible for many more months. I am here to answer the questions those around you have not or cannot answer."

Korra stepped forward to the young girl who was still taken by the moment. Anja gazed uneasily into her crystal eyes. A cataclysm rolled through her. Until this moment she was sure that the spirit, her parents, even the Order of the White Lotus had made a mistake, she hadn't wanted to disappoint her parents so she tried humoring them. But this was different, this plain, this woman, somehow there was not a mistake. Adrenaline pumped through her blood and her head spun wildly before she finally found clarity. Crystal blue eyes still locked on her.

"Where are we?" Anja asked blurted, it was the first thing that came to mind.

"The Tree of Time, these are the Spirit Portals that are found in the North and South poles." She said gently, gesturing towards the red and blue columns. "This is the Spirit World."

"Why can't the world know who my family is?" Anja was still very taken by the whole situation.

"Leverage and bias. You will discover your identity in due time and then you will understand. A war is on the horizon and in the event of war the Avatar must remain impartial until the nature of the parties is clear. Too much knowledge of the future is not safe." Korra looked the girl over slowly.

"Why don't I have an animal guide?" Anja sat on a nearby rock and continued to take in the woman before her, she had a pale glow about her, making the whole ordeal feel somewhat dreamlike.

"I don't know but I do have a theory. Much like you do as to why you lost your connection to the elements. Typically the animal guide is also a spiritual guide. For the Fire Nation, their guides are Dragons, the original Firebenders. For Air Nomads, the Sky Bison who are the original Airbenders. Water is slightly separate as Waterbending comes from the spirits, so the guide is an animal representative of your own spirit, for me I was brave and fearless, sometimes to the point of being very reckless, and so I had Naga, a polar bear dog who was brave and loyal, vicious yet grounded, she kept me centered. Because you denied your connection to Earth, you denied your spiritual connection to the Badgermole as well. I would not fret, though young Anja. In time, the pieces will fall into place." Korra paused momentarily. Anja was bewildered beyond belief, she was the one, she was actually the Avatar.

"Morning is fast upon us, good luck on your journey Avatar Anja, the world now looks to you for guidance towards peace and balance." Korra gave a low bow before her form faded into nothing, leaving the brightly coloured world to fill her place before it swirled into darkness.

Anja sat up sharply; she was covered in a cold sweat, panting as if she had run to Zaofu instead of taking the train. A knock resounded through the metal of her door as a voice called from behind it.  
"Anja, its time. Master Beifong awaits." She sighed inwardly before rolling out of the bed and pulling on her green robes. Her muscles were stiff as she tried to force her hair into a neat bun and as she trundled out the door, she felt as though she hadn't achieved any sleep. Her feet were leaded her and her head pounded with every breath she took. She slumped into the living area where her aunt waited and was met with a hearty laugh.

"Anja please, try to look more like your are excited, not like I'm requesting your execution." Jaya's laugh was joined by a much more manly sounding one. Anja clenched her jaw as she fought the urge to curse at her 'guardian'.

"Relax, young one. My daughter may be named after a strong woman but trust me when I say, Toph does have a kind heart." This statement from Moku burrowed into her head, Anja did a double take.

"Yo-Your daughter is my master. Your daughter is Master Toph Beifong?" Anja hesitated slightly before turning her gaze onto Jaya. Thousands of things ran through her mind but none made sense to her.

"Is that a problem Anja?" Moku back peddled, fearing he had brought her offense.

"No Sir, it just seems my guardian and I are less acquainted than I had thought. I did not know you had a niece, Master Jaya." She stared at the woman she had grown up with, an icy sheen of accusation growing in her eyes. Jaya hesitated before responding.

"My apologies, Anja. I know I mentioned Moku was my brother, Toph must have slipped my mind." Jaya bowed slightly, Anja assumed it was to avoid her eyes.

"Well, then we best hurry so we do not slip again, Master Jaya. Lets not keep Toph waiting." Anja hardened her gaze, preventing her inner turmoil from showing. It was beginning to make sense. Her mother and aunt were Beifongs. Something had gone wrong in this city and they had abandoned the name. She was not just the Avatar, she was Anja Beifong. The symbol on the back of her bracelet was beginning to make more sense to her now. She had recognized it as a pig with wings but had not trusted her eyes, assuming her mother was not one for 'when pigs fly jokes'. The pig was not a pig; it was the Flying Boar that decorated the crest of the Beifong family. The pieces of her identity began to fall into place but one piece remained an unknown quantity, why was having the well-respected name of Beifong a sudden dishonor for her?

Anja followed Jaya and Moku in silence. She was still angry with her aunt and the man in front of her who was her uncle. Anger bumbled in her stomach and as much as she found herself hating it, she could not help it. The remedy to her anger could not be achieved until Jaya saw it fit to discuss. The group passed through a mansion that stood proudly at attention at the head of the dome. She was led through several rooms before they reemerged outside in an arena styled courtyard. A young woman waited patiently in the center of it, seated in the lotus position. Moku bowed to Jaya and her before he took his leave.

"Master Toph Beifong, may I introduce you to Anja, the Avatar." Jaya spoke softly but her voice was heavy with authority. The woman stood and faced the two. Soft green eyes shone from a pale face set in a grin. "Avatar Anja, it is a pleasure." She approached Anja with grace that was usually reserved for Waterbenders or Airbenders. Anja smiled gently, this girl was her cousin. Strong, yet sweet with a hidden sense of danger, the kind of person Anja wanted to be one day.

"Master Toph, it is a pleasure to meet you also." Anja bowed out of respect at Toph. A sneaky grin formed at her lips. "Sifu Toph." The woman broke out into melodic laughter and gently grabbed Anja's hand.  
"As much as I like the irony there, Toph will be just fine, Earthbending student." Laughter bubbled out from Anja's mouth. She allowed herself to be led into the center of the arena and sat as instructed.

"Toph, might I remind you of the discretion of our agreement?" Jaya whispered quietly.

"You have my full confidentiality Lotus Master." Toph returned, just as quiet. Anja had to strain to here them.

"Alright, Anja." She spoke softly, "I have been studying past Avatars so we can work through this block you are having. In the histories of Kuruk, Yangchen, Kyoshi, Roku, Aang and Korra, it can be postulated that to bend a foreign element, you must first gain a spiritual connection to that element. Do you know much of the elements and bending styles?" She asked, her voice was appealing, like the wind against a set of chimes. Anja shook her head. As much as bending had surrounded her, she had never cared for it, never wanted for it given the seeming impossibility of her being an Airbender.

"Good, that makes this easier. To be a bender, you need to understand not only how the elements are separate, but also how they are not. The first I can show you, the second I cannot, you must learn for yourself. This will help you restore balance in yourself." Toph stepped backwards so several feet parted the two. She stomped the ground and bent up a slab of earth easily half her size before clapping her hands strongly together, shattering the slab into a fine gravel. "Fire, the first element of the cycle, is an expression of energy. Energy is constantly cycling around us. It changes from light from the sun, to energy in plants, to food in animals. Energy that is not changed is reflected as heat, this is what the element of the Firebenders is. Energy is not restrictive and neither is their element. As a martial art though, Firebending is purely offensive. It strives on the philosophy that the best form of defense, is a good offense." She demonstrated with several jabs of the gravel. Moving it like Firebenders would move fire.

"Airbending, which I am told you are somewhat acquainted, is the opposite. Air is always around us, spiraling in a stream of perpetual motion." She demonstrated by bending the gravel in a spiral, Anja watched on in awe. "This is why Airbending as a martial art is heavily spiraling movements. They mimic air currents to draw power and strength. Airbenders believe in peace and freedom, but not in aggression or selfishness. This is reflected in their bending, it is for the most part, defensive." She turned several tight circles, swiping her gravel as if it were a shield that extended from her body.

"Water and earth are both different from this. They use offense and defense in equal measure. Water is similar to air in that it is essential to life and is always present in some form. Water is a special element, as it can exist in 3 forms, as a solid in ice, a liquid in water we drink, and a gas in vapour and steam. Water is in the air we breathe, it is in the cells of plants and animals, and it runs through our veins. Waterbenders are fluid and adapt easily to change. Their martial art reflects this and works fluidly to change defense to offense with a moments' notice." She paused and moved the gravel in a shielding move before turning it around and forming shards. "And obviously, back again." She moved her shards back into gravel and returned them to the shield position.

"Earth is similar but not quite. It is the element of substance. You can move your defense easily into offense and in reverse but you must be rigid and stubborn. To bend earth, or any element, you need to make yourself a mirror of it. Firebenders are unpredictable and fierce, yet also controlled, just like fire can be. Airbenders detach like leaves in an autumn breeze, swirling with the air currents. Waterbenders move with the currents of the ocean, the soft push and pull that can easily morph into a typhoon with a moments notice. To bend earth you need to be as stubborn as the rock you want to move." Toph let her gravel fall back, rejoining with the earth. She bent up a large boulder that reached her waist easily. Her stance moved to a traditional wide legged form and she raised her hand above her shoulder. "To bend earth, you need to make yourself unbendable or the move will not work." She brought her hand down in a speedy arc, connecting with the boulder slicing it in two.

"How are you keeping up?" She approached Anja with a measured look, gauging her aptitude as verbal learner. Anja nodded with pondering enthusiasm.

"Actually, that all made sense. I severed my connection to earth because I denied that part of myself, but the elements are like a set of scales, by denying earth I change the balance, and like links in a chain, I deny everything that would follow. But I think with your guidance I can heal that connection." She glanced at her Sifu with a soft smile.  
"I'm glad, now to the second part of the lesson, remove your shoes. I want you barefoot." Anja did as told, removing her socks also. Toph retraced those few steps to stand back in front of Anja before continuing to stand behind her. She produced a long strip of cloth from a pocket and secured it over her eyes.

"Stand, pupil Anja." Anja's feet felt shaky but she eventually made her way to a standing position. "Can you feel the earth under your feet?"

"Of course, I'm standing on it." Anja laughed lightly, Toph joining in for a moment.

"Understood. Can you feel the _essence_ of the earth?" Toph rephrased her question slightly.

"I don't know what you mean Sifu," Anja wobbled slightly.

"Alright, I am going to perform an old move, the one my namesake used to see. I want you to tell me what you sense." Toph raised her right leg before forcing it roughly back to the ground. Anja felt an unnatural tingle at her feet and sensed a kind of energy shift in the ground.

"It's not a natural shift. In the earth I mean, something has moved it against its will." Toph chuckled with sheer delight.

"Brilliant! You have just felt the essence of the earth. The most important aspect of Earthbending is the fight. It is also found in water. You are trying to tame a beast that wants to run on its own, like an uphill battle. Again." Toph repeated the move and Anja felt the same shift. A shiver ran through the base of her spine as she felt the earth around her pulse with energy.

"Whoa." She wobbled again on her feet.

"Yes pupil Anja?" She asked lightly, a comical edge to her tone.

"It was different that time. I could feel the direction of the shift but I also felt it in my body."

"Very good. One last time." Toph changed her move slightly to cause a lighter seismic wave.

"Spirits," She breathed heavily, her hands coming to her knees. "That one was different." Anja piped almost instantly, causing a grin to form on Toph's porcelain face.

"It was?" She asked lightly.

"Yes. It had a different feel. The shift moved with the earth, not against it. I could feel you, that boulder you split and the arena. It was like I could see almost. No, that's ridiculous." She shook her head lightly.

"No it isn't. This move is called Seismic Sense. It involves using seismic waves to view your surroundings, like sonar in ships. It can also be used to read people. It is how Toph was blind, but had no trouble seeing, in fact she saw a great deal more than you or I would. Try it for me." Toph stood at attention in front of her student. Anja changed her shaky stance; she stood with her feet a little wider than shoulder width before raising her right foot and slamming it into the earth. She groaned internally when all she felt was a jarring pain in her ankle. Toph laughed lightly from in front of her.

"Brilliant form but you aren't feeling the earth. Stand straight again." Anja stood as instructed. "Breathe in, and release the breath." Anja sighed before doing as she was told. "Can you feel the way your breath flows through your body, flowing into your stomach along your spine and spreading across your body before being released again?" Anja breathed a few more times before she felt the energy in herself.  
"I can feel it, Sifu." She said lightly, continuing her breathing.

"This is your energy. Your chi, feel this energy flow through your body and into the earth at your feet. Take your stance again." Anja shifted back into the wide set stance. "Breath in as you come up, then out as you come down. Feel your energy flowing with your breath, in through your mouth and out through your foot." Anja nodded sheepishly. She took several more breaths, feeling moderately foolish. She breathed in deeply, raising her right foot again before breathing out, feeling her energy pass into the earth as she slammed her foot into the ground. A wave of energy swept through the earth, warping around rocks and objects in its path, before bouncing back and returning to her. She could feel the shape of her surroundings, from Toph in front of her, to the broken boulder, to the mansion, to two people watching from behind a window. She continued to breathe deeply before a round of slow clapping interrupted her. "Very good Anja. You have begun the first step in mastering Earth."


	5. Answers

Toph gently removed the strip of cloth from Anja's eyes and took in the look of amazement on her face. Anja met her Master's green eyes and broke out into hushed laughter

"I actually bent the earth. I am actually a bender." Soft laughter rumbled through Toph as she placed a tender hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, Pupil Anja, you are an Earthbender, and I'll hug my grandmother before I'm wrong about this, but I'd say you have the heart of a prodigy." Her face molded into a proud smile.

"A prodigy, what does that mean?" Anja offered her a puzzled glance.

"It means, young Anja, that you are a natural. Bending is in your blood." An authoritive voice behind her chimed. Anja turned to face her aunt, still high on her progress. "Congratulations, if your lesson with Master Toph is done, I'll escort you out for our lesson."

"Yes Aunt Jaya, we have finished for the day. I'll see you tomorrow, Pupil Anja." Toph brought her hands together and lowered her torso into a bow before straightening and leaving the two.

"Our lesson, Master Jaya?" Anja gave her an unfavourable look.  
"I am not just present as your guardian, I am also present as your spiritual guide. I will teach you meditation and spiritual connection. We must go now, all in due time." Those words rung through Anja's head heavily, they were what she and Korra had said when a secret was being kept. She followed angrily, not particularly in a mood for one on one time with the 'Aunt of the Year'.

Jaya led her from the courtyard through to a meteor garden. A pool ran through to a pavilion where Jaya now sat. Anja took her place in front of her.

"I am going to teach you how to enter the spirit world, Avatar Anja. Sit, and cross your legs like I have." Anja sat in a heap in front of her aunt, filled with a sudden curiosity regarding the lesson.

"Alright, now what?" Jaya placed her right hand on her right knee but held her left to Anja.

"Place your hands like mine, give me your left." Anja placed her left hand tenderly into Jaya's. "Close your eyes and breath, try to clear your mind. I will guide you into the spirit world." She did as told and breathed in deeply. She felt her chi flowing through her body, down her spine, out through her legs and her arms. As she released the breath she felt it flow back towards her chest and release with her breathing. Anja felt her body lighten and rise into the air. "Anja, focus on my voice. Let it be your guide, follow my voice." Jaya called, her voice booming all around her. Anja tried to follow it, let the voice fill her mind easily and felt the world around her shift. Piercing light burned through her closed eyelids and soft grass tickled through her pants. "Very good, Koala." The voice gently stated.

Anja forced her eyes open to look at her aunt. Her features had softened into a gentle smile as opposed to the harsh mask she had in place as they entered Zaofu.

"If you have any questions, ask now. We can talk safely here Koala." Anja gazed at her for several moments.

"Alright. You and mother were Beifongs, and I am as well, correct?" accusation flooded her tone.

"Correct. You are indeed Anja Beifong, great granddaughter to Wei Beifong, great, great, great to Toph Beifong the first."

"Why did you leave?" Jaya sighed gently before looking her in the eye.

"Raja and I had," She paused lightly, toying with the words she was about to say. "A difference in opinion. She believed that I didn't have a place in an army, especially not in something as prestigious as the United Forces. I was going to join them when I was younger, but she refused to let me. I joined them anyway later out of spite to her but also for myself. Then Mae discovered you were the Avatar and we decided the Lotus might be a better direction to take."

"And mum? You left together but why did she really leave?"

"Part of it was for me, the other was because of Raja. Mae had just turned 18 and since she had shown no outward interest, mother decided that she would take care of it herself and arranged Mae's engagement. Mae refused to have her decisions made for her and to be locked in this city forever. She was ranting one night when I suggested we both leave, I was going to regardless but she came with me." Jaya sighed, dropping her eyes at the memory. Anja let her own eyes fall to the ground.

"So mum wouldn't let Raja live her life for her. I understand that, why did you abandon the name then?" Jaya laughed lightly before bringing her eyes back to Anja.

"The Lotus care for neither nation nor title I renounced my title as a Beifong and my status as Earth Kingdom when I signed up. I am not a Beifong anymore. I am simple Lotus Master Jaya, 3rd degree. Mae dropped the name because she didn't want favours. Beifong is a highly esteemed name around the world, there's a reason Toph flaunted it at the Serpent's Pass in Aang's history. And we were angry, so angry Anja, I wanted to cut all ties to our mother, to Zaofu and Mae did the same but on a much fiercer scale. Sometimes I'm surprised she still uses her bending."

"Okay, so then why did you tell the gate teller I was the first of Mae, but tell me not to call you 'Aunt'. If they know my mum, they know you are her sister." She was interrupted by breathy laughter and a teary grin from Jaya.

"'First of May' with a 'y', not 'e' means that you are a novice. I was telling him you were to be an earthbending student. It's important for the Avatar to stay hidden for now still."

"Oh." She mumbled, annoyed at the excessive response. "Why can't they know who I am, Raja, Moku and Toph, I mean?"

"For your safety. The war that is coming, it's believed to be Earth in origin. If people knew you were a Beifong, they would be able to use that to undermine your decisions, and it gives people ways to hurt you." Jaya hesitated slightly before continuing. "And we are not sure who are on board with the plan. The Lotus doesn't want to risk it being anyone with access to you. We don't want high up's like my mother to have access to you."

"Then why come here? What story have you spun these people? _What_ do they think I really am?" Her voice rose an octave and the blue sky darkened slightly.

"Relax Anja, in the spirit world our emotions become our reality. I have told them you are a recruit for the Lotus. We ran an aptitude test on you that showed you positive as a bender, to our surprise, and have brought you here to learn from Toph, since she is one of the best. Our lessons are to help you reconnect with the element and I am training you to be a guru. Toph is the only one who knows your true identity. She is also of the Lotus, but just an Elemental Master for the moment. She is here as an informant and as a part of our movement to return to the shadows. That's why, you'll find, no one is referring to you as the Avatar. No one knows that's who you are."

"Alright. One last question, do I have a backstory? What am I meant to tell people if they say I look like Mae or ask who I am? If I am not your niece, who am I?" Jaya laughed gently.

"It's not that complex. You are of the Order of the White Lotus. You do not have a name or a nation. You were orphaned as a child and placed under my care, and as a result cannot remember your parents. I made the bracelet for you as a symbol of your aspiration to become a guru, one who belongs to all nations. It's time to go back now, Koala. I am sorry all this is confusing for you but it will get easier. I am here if you need to talk it just needs to be like this where we can't be overheard. Ready?" Anja nodded, her throat thick and her body heavy.


	6. Wrong in Spirit

"Alright, Pupil Anja. You know the drill. Blindfold and stance." Toph paced lightly in front of her. Anja had been in Zaofu for nearly two months and in that time she'd barely seen anyone other than Moku, Jaya or Toph. Raja never made a reappearance and to her surprise, no body so much as questioned about her life before Zaofu.

"Yes Sifu." She widened her stance and tied the dark strip of cloth over her eyes.

"Now, I will send attacks at you, you will anticipate and block." Toph stomped the earth heavily, raising five head-sized rocks. Anja felt her lift the first one and ready it for attack. The boulder came at her left shoulder and she curved swiftly to the side before ducking the second boulder. She turned her body back to Toph before raising her arms slightly and avoiding the blow directed at her right side. Another flew towards her stomach and one to her head. Anja dropped to the ground and rolled swiftly out of the way before springing to face towards her master.

"What on earth was that?" Toph roughly came to stand a hairsbreadth in front of her. Steam pouring from her ears. "No pun intended either, Anja."  
"I was sensing and anticipating. Isn't that the drill?" She tugged the blindfold off harshly.

"No. Sense and block. Hold your ground; be stubborn and solid like the earth. Blindfold on Anja." She returned to her former position and yanked off her own shoes and socks. "Again!" Toph stomped another six boulders from the ground as Anja retied the blindfold. Once it was in place she held her arms in front with her elbows tucked into her sides. The first boulder came at her stomach and she sidestepped it easily before reversing the move to avoid another blow. The next came quickly at her head and it took all her reflexes to move out of its path. She spun easily and avoided the next two blows before she felt Toph slam the final into the ground.

"This is pointless. Anja, blindfold off and come here." Toph dropped her hands to the earth and slid one of her legs in a sweeping arc. The arena reset and the boulders returned to the earth.

"Sorry Sifu. I tried it just fights against everything I am. My first instinct is to get out of the way." Anja sighed and tugged the blindfold off gently, allowing it to fall to the ground as dejected as she felt.

"It's no matter Pupil Anja. Rather than 'stop rock' we will move to 'move rock.'" She slammed a heavy foot into the ground, raising a boulder like the one she had split in their first lesson. It reached Anja's shoulders and was easily several feet in thickness. "Wide stance and strong, solid heart. Punch through the rock and send it forward."

Anja approached the boulder and widened her stance. She placed a tentative hand on the boulder before withdrawing and slamming it into the boulder. The air rushed from her lungs and she was forced backwards into the hard earth. Once the pain in her chest eased she stood quickly and returned to the rock.  
"Sorry again, Sifu." She raised her hands in the position she had used while dodging Toph's earlier blows. "Maybe if I come at it from another angle?" She circled it swiftly looking for a weak point on the boulder.

"Anja stop!" Toph placed a hand on her shoulder and held her back. She approached the rock radiating anger before slamming her own fist into the boulder, launching it to the other side of the arena. "There is no other angle, no clever solution. There is you and the rock. Stand firm and hold your position." Toph shook her head and turned away from Anja. "Blindfold on. I will launch that boulder at you. Stop it." Anja hesitated before recovering the miserable piece of cloth and securing it over her eyes once more. She felt Toph approach the boulder and move it so it stood between the two women. Anja took her stance. Wide set for balance, hands out front ready to receive the blow. She felt Toph take her stance and send the boulder. The boulder came hurtling towards her and she held her stance. It was a meter in front of her when her body reacted. Her back turned to the boulder and her legs moved of their own accord. Her body followed and the boulder sailed past, skimming the air between her and the flying rock. Anja relaxed her stance and brought her hands to her knees, breathing deeply. Toph lost all patience she had managed to retain in the last two weeks. She stormed Anja forcing the blindfold off and bringing her face up so sterling met storming green.

"What was that? You had perfect form and perfect stance but when it came right down to it you blew it! You didn't have the guts!" Anja shrunk into her robes.

"You're right. I didn't" Toph released her and Anja fell hard onto the round. Toph turned to leave, still fuming with anger.

"If you don't have what it takes to stop the rock at least give it the pleasure of smooshing you instead of jumping out of the way!" She left the arena without sparing her student another glance.

Anja gathered her shoes and her thoughts before returning to the Beifong house. She trod lightly in search of her aunt before she stumbled on a conversation between Jaya and Toph.

"We have a severe problem Jaya. I am losing here, before the week is out I might have to actually hug my grandmother." Her voice shook with disgust.

"Toph, what is wrong, why isn't her training progressing?" Jaya was filled with tangible concern. Anja wanted to be sick, after only two months as the Avatar she was already a failure.

"It's her spirit. I wasn't sure at first, I had my suspicions during the first drill when she ducked the blows with such ease. They were confirmed the second time around. Especially during the next two drills. Jaya this is not going to be easy." Toph sighed deeply. 'Her spirit'? Anja felt her heart race and her mood sink even lower. Not only was she a failure as the avatar and an earthbender, the problem was deeply rooted in her spirit. She sat heavily on the ground, listening to the continued conversation.

"What is it about her spirit Toph?" Jaya perked curiously. Toph lowered her voice slightly, the words barely noticeable for Anja.

"She has the spirit of an airbender. She avoids and evades, she puzzles for the clever solution. We were all wrong; the block isn't in her heart. She hasn't just denied earth, she is air at heart." Anja peeked carefully around the corner. She noticed that Toph had not replaced her shoes.

"What is your recommendation?" Jaya crossed her arms lightly and shifted her expression. Toph also shifted lightly so her body faced a little further away from Anja. She thought for a second Toph glanced her way but shook the thought from her mind.

"Do you know how Toph broke through to Aang? She locked Sokka into a crevice and set a Saber-toothed Moose lion mother onto the two. I'm not saying we go to that extreme but it would make a brilliant plan C." Jaya laughed lightly, gently placing a hand on Toph's shoulder

"How about we use Boma's method?" Jaya's laughing slowed to a gentle chuckle.

"Boma? He was Yangchen's era. What did he do?" Toph's face became troubled; Anja listened intently to the exchange, coming slightly further from her hiding place.

"Anja step out here please." Jaya called, her raised voice startling the young Avatar.

"Oh, uh hello. I was just looking for the bathroom, I didn't mean to interrupt." She raised a hand awkwardly to the back of her neck. Toph and Jaya gazed at her, both disbelieving; Jaya raised her eyebrow in a suspicious arc.

"Boma, gave her a lesson regarding identity. I believe the same is what Anja, here, needs. If the two of you will follow me to the pavilion. Toph consider this part of your exam as well."


	7. Of One Mind

The trio sat facing each other at the center of the pavilion. Jaya took Toph's left hand lightly in her own and instructed Anja to do the same with her right.

"Okay, Anja and I will guide you. Breathe deeply, clear your mind and focus only on my voice." Jaya adjusted her posture and closed her eyes. "Breathe, in and out. Feel your energy and clear your mind. Follow my voice." Anja and Jaya crossed through the barrier and guided Toph with them. The brilliant glow of the spirit world broke through and the three women opened their eyes to each other and to a vast array of coloured scenery and crystal skies. A soft breeze echoed around them and the spirits danced freely.

"Wow," Toph breathed heavily before bringing her gaze to Anja. "I apologise for the harshness of my words earlier, I am trying to teach you to wait and listen to the earth, to teach you patience but I lost mine. You are stubborn but strong and you trust your heart and rely on instinct. These are the nature of the Beifong spirit, my cousin, and should be nurtured not cursed." Toph bowed her head slightly before turning her gaze on Jaya. "Now, Lotus Master, Boma's method?"

Jaya breathed deeply before standing and pacing in front of the two.

"Anja, unlike Korra and Aang you do not respond to trial by fire, neither did Yangchen. Boma's lesson refers the three aspects of a person's spirit. The person of whom you are, the person you think you are and the person you wish to be. These three must be in close alignment for your spirit to find balance.

"You, I believe, are still in doubt of being the Avatar. You think that since you have barely managed to earthbend that you are a failure. In truth you are not. You are indeed the Avatar but you have not failed. You have nearly mastered the most important skill of Earthbending, seismic sense not only allows you to see when your eyes fail, it allows you intuition and the ability to know your surroundings beyond those in the immediate vicinity. This in time will prove detrimental to your success in earth. As for who you wish to be, I would assume that Aang, Korra and Jinora are whom you look to. You want to be strong, you want to help bring balance, you want to be able to master the role of the Avatar but above all, you want to make the most of this new path. Am I wrong?" Jaya stopped, her back to Anja.

"No. Well not entirely at least. I spent thirteen years believing I was an average nonbending citizen of the United Republic. Going from that to a bender was a shock sure, but the Avatar? I am not in doubt of the fact, I spent years dreaming of Aang and Yangchen, dancing with them and then that morning, I was visited by a spirit who called me the Avatar, then the White Lotus show up and that night I have a dream with Avatar Korra. There were too many coincidences to for there to be an error. I doubted being able to overcome the block. I doubted that I would be good at being the Avatar. I still do." Anja studied her slowly, the woman behind the title. She was stiff, always at attention, always en guarde.

"It is not doubt my niece. It is fear is it not? You don't doubt being an incompetent Avatar, you fear it, and greatly." Jaya turned and faced the girl. "Isn't that a situation? You are afraid to fail as the Avatar, but to be the Avatar you need not to be afraid." Toph stood lightly and easily, walking to Jaya before facing Anja, assuming the soldierly position beside her aunt.

"Our spirits are influenced not only by our birth, but by our experiences. For whatever reason you have grown into the spirit of Air. This is what stopped you coming into your earthbending like most young children do; but now, it is blocked by your fear. You have proven yourself an earthbender but fear prevents you progressing." Anja glanced between the two women. Any person could tell they were kin. The same glossy black hair, the same eyes, even the military disposition the two shared, just years separated them from being twins. She watched them carefully as she stood, emulating their grace and posture.

"How do I get passed the fear then?" Jaya's face wavered before she took a step forward.

"By facing it. By fighting it."

"How am I supposed to fight being afraid of my destiny?" Anja's voice was quiet, so quiet she was surprised the two before her heard.

"By conquering the fears that make it up. You are afraid to start earthbending because it brings you closer to becoming a fully realised Avatar." Toph placed a hand on Jaya's shoulder, sharing in an expression before taking point.

"Anja, I was not wrong when I said you have the heart of a prodigy. Anja Beifong, you are headstrong, you have keen instincts, you are stubborn and you have a good heart. You have a good sense of right and wrong, and being the Avat-," She turned to Jaya slowly, a question in her eyes. Jaya stood patiently, having a silent conversation with Toph for an agonizing period of time. Jaya sighed and nodded before Toph returned her gaze to her pupil. "Anja, being the Avatar is in your blood." If she weren't already standing she would have been, and would have been so quickly. She took several heavy steps towards Toph so little space parted the two, the woman's breath tickling her forehead, Toph only stood a few inches above the young girl.

"In my blood? What on earth- No puns Toph- does that mean? What is in my blood?" At this Jaya stepped forward, placing a hand on Toph to order her back. She was calm, always so calm and collected. She rarely showed emotion in that metal city, she wasn't even showing much here anymore. The spirit world had become a haven but even now Jaya was assuming the role of Master and closing off personal emotion, _human _emotion. The expression on her face only fueled the anger that had grown inside Anja lately. She was always angry these days, at Jaya for being so cold, at Toph for expecting too much of her, at Moku and Raja for not caring about Mae or caring to ask how she was. But above it all, Anja was angry with herself. She was the Avatar and was crippled by fear at the idea, a fear that she couldn't simply ignore; she was on the road to becoming a failure.

"Li, your father." Jaya's cool tone brought her back to reality, of sorts. "You get the name and blood of Beifong from your mother, but from your father you have so much more. Your father's parents were an unlikely couple but they were a match made by the spirits. Your grandmother was an Air Acolyte. She was a daughter of Avatar Korra, Kaito, a nonbender. She chose the path of the Nomads to assist in rebuilding the nation. It was during her time on Air Temple Island that she met Sora. He was a descendent of Ersa's third child, Kiyi, and a soldier of the United Republic. It is commonly known that the blood of Avatar Roku was in Ersa, and thus in Kiyi. You are of an extremely unlikely lineage. You have the blood of two past Avatars and are of the Beifong line, Anja. I can't help but feel the spirits have blessed you, that you were born to be the Avatar."

The sky began to darken again and the spirits faded from the area.  
"Anja, calm yourself!" Jaya came to her niece, her hands resting on the soft skin of her cheeks. "Remember what I told you the first time we came here, in the spirit world our emotions become our reality. Please calm down!" Actual concern rolled over Jaya's features and Anja almost had to laugh at the display. Maybe her aunt was human after all. She took a deep breath before turning to her mentors.

"I apologise Jaya, I will control my emotions better in future. If you don't mind, I think I need to spend some time to gather myself. Master Toph, Master Jaya." Anja took a brief glance at the two before lowering into a bow and turning away. She bowed to them and walked away from their place, a small hill shaded by a tree with glass-like leaves, and journeyed through the spirit world. She didn't know where she was going or what she wanted to find but the freedom and release of pressure caused her shoulders to stand higher, for her to stand a slight bit taller.

Anja walked for a few moments until she found a lush green field at the edge of what resembled a forest that filled her an overwhelming sense of familiarity. She sat slowly and placed herself into the lotus position. She knew this place and had been here before, she had shared in something here, met someone who was an old friend.

"Hello Anja." She would know that voice anywhere. It was a voice she had known as Korra, a voice she had known very well as Aang and an older voice of one she had met as Roku. She stayed in her position, but looked up opening her eyes.

"General Iroh. It is truly an honour sir." She stood to face the man in green and gold robes before lowing herself into a bow.

"Now, now, Anja no need for formalities between old friends. You seem troubled young Avatar." A warming grin formed on his face and his eyes that spoke of an eternal friendship creased gently, she sighed at the genuineness of the man and the floodgates of her head released.

"I have learned too much about my true identity in too short of time. Not only am I a bender, I am _the_ Avatar, a Beifong, a descendent of your former sister-in-law _and_ of Avatar Korra. Neither of my parents are who they say they were, neither is my Aunt. I have been lied to and had who truly I am kept from me my whole life and now I am being ushered and forced into a destiny I am not prepared for and my choices seem to no longer matter. It's almost as if the moment I became the Avatar, I stopped being myself."

"Your conflict seems not too different from one Aang had during the 100 Years War. When he left the Southern Air Temple it was very much for the reasons you are stating. He felt like he was losing everything that made him who he was. He lost his friends because he was the Avatar, he lost his sense of identity and to top it off the Monks wanted to remove him from the one person who still thought of him as Aang, not as 'The Avatar.'" Iroh's tone was as gentle as ever, like honey coated his throat and his words.

"But as for your family I can understand. As a parent you want to put your best self forward in the hope that your children keep that beautiful innocence as long as possible and become better than you were. But you also do what is best for them, While raising Zuko I never told him I was a Grand Lotus, I never told him who I was truly because he needed to come to his path on his own. I helped and supported him and I did my best to protect him after Ozai cast him away. But he never knew who I was at heart. Not until I believed he could handle it and make the right choices. I did my best and I'm sure your parents did as well Anja. A person's best is all you can ask."

"If only Iroh, as the Avatar your best is only enough if you do what the people favour. Korra gave her best at Zaofu to protect it from being consumed by the Earth Empire but when she came home her best made her incompetent. I can only ask a person's best but of me people can ask for the moon and expect it to be done." A tinkling laugh broke through their conversation when another came to join them.

"Avatar Anja, I doubt it highly that you could bring me to the people." Yue floated effortlessly in the crystal skies, glowing white and pink with beautiful light, she looked down at Anja with friendly recognition. Anja turned sharply sensing a faint feeling of recognition at the voice. She had known it once, a very long time ago. Her eyes locked on with brilliant blue ones set in a pale face.  
"Princess Yue, it is an honour your highness." Anja stared, star struck by the woman before her. Yue laughed again before descending the skies and coming level with Anja, only centimeters in front of her.

"Just Yue please, I stopped being a princess over 150 years ago. You have felt the pressures of the Avatar at such a young age Anja, and pressure can either crush a person or it can turn them to diamond. I offer you this wisdom, my old friend; though you will fail, and do so over and over and over, it is crucial that you try every time. _Failure is an event, never a person_." Anja nodded lightly and Yue soared up into the endless blue and faded away softly.

"She is very right Anja, although some of her words are not her own but my nephew's. As hard as it is right now, I can honestly say it will not get better." Anja turned back to the former general.

"Thanks Iroh, that was encouraging." She spoke ironically and fought the urge to roll her eyes like a child.

"It will not get easier Anja, but _you_ will get better. You will learn to be the Avatar and you will grow. Actually being and carrying out the duties of the Avatar will not get better but you will get better at being the Avatar." Iroh have a gentle bow before he returned to his forest of plants that were not trees. Anja resumed her position and thought on what the two had said. Her greatest fear was being inadequate as the Avatar, of being a failure, but Iroh and Yue had given her hope. She might fail along the way but those things did not make _her_ the failure. She would learn with time and make a few mistakes but mistakes at heart, are lessons. They are something that has gone wrong, something, which by trying can be righted again.


	8. Reconnection

It took her a while but eventually Anja resigned herself to the knowledge that even though in hindsight there were several other ways to go about her identity, her family did what they thought was the best at the time. There was more to Jaya than she allowed to be known but for whatever reason she was here right now for her. Jaya came back to the place she hates the most in the world to protect and mentor her and no matter how you spin that, it takes courage and it takes a certain toll on a person. Anja calmed herself slowly and prepared to transition back to the material world. She felt herself slam back into her body and opened her eyes to a bored Master and a sinking sun.

"Well pupil Anja, that took a while." Toph laughed lightly before turning fully to her student. "I would like to continue our lessons but I would prefer your thoughts on the matter. I want a partnership not a dictatorship." Toph lounged casually on the step and offered a grin of encouragement.

"I want you to through pillows or rocks or something at me until I stop dodging them." Anja gave Toph a look of curiosity, wondering at what her response might be. The woman was absolutely stunned and gaped like a koi fish.

"What on earth, why?" Anja laughed easily at the expression and rose to her feet, stretching her back.

"Because it is fine to trust your instincts but you must also train them I think. If my instinct is always flight and never fight I will never win now will I? I need to stand my ground." Toph looked at her, enthralled that such a young mind could carry such wisdom. Though the Avatar spirit was 10160 years young, each Avatar had to learn the lessons and wisdom in their own time. She smiled in a manner that would have frightened Anja that morning.

"I have just the thing, Pupil Anja."

Toph carried Anja off to a distant outlying house at the back of the estate. It was made of metal and stone with glass in the ceiling, like most of the Mansion. Light poured in through the roof, reducing the need for artificial light and gave the place a warm deep orange glow. The metal doors slid open and a warehouse that had an awful affair with a gym was revealed.  
"Welcome to Rumah Toph. This is my sanctuary where I come to punch things until I can breathe again. In the west corner is the simulation we want." Toph guided her between punching bags and various weights and equipment to a training circle and what faintly resembled a pulley system. "Alright Anja, the goal is to remain in the black ring, and not to reach the white at all. I will send sand bags your way and you will defend. Sand is a subset of the element so you should be able to feel the bags and bend them to a degree. Would you prefer eyesight or sense?" Toph sized her up, making a bet on the option she would take, probably sense. Anja returned her gaze, imagining her thoughts behind the face being made; she assumed Toph would think the sight option would be her answer.

"Sense definitely, but I don't have a blind fold." Toph approached her slowly and before she could respond, removed black sash at her waist. Under it stood a green belt that held up her pants.

"I always wondered why you wore a sash over your belt but I think I get it, the green gets to you as well doesn't it?" she laughed a laugh that shamed wind chimes and secured the sash around her eyes. "Your shoes and socks Anja." The girl dropped to the ground, doing as she was bid. "If you were wondering why I suggested you had air in your spirit it was partially because of your flight instinct, the other part was all in your foot work. You moved in light circular patterns and even held your hands correctly, for Airbending. But mostly it was in the weight of your movements. You dance, as if gravity is barely a concern. This lightness is why my namesake called Aang Twinkletoes you know." The Avatar stood firmly and faced her Master.

"I was wondering a little, I never imagined that was it though. Alright Sifu Toph," She raised her hands into their position, elbows tight to protect her center. "I am ready."

Five sandbags swirled past her dancing form before Anja began to annoy herself. She was still relying her instinct to evade, not trusting her instinct to fight. She turned her feet in a tight arc before she faced her master again. Two bags were sent, on directly for her the other to her left but slightly behind the first bag. She moved swiftly, circling her back to the first and spinning so she faced the second and moved with the momentum of her body, striking out with her foot. The bag recoiled and sailed passed but no more came. Instead of bags a voice filtered through in their place.

"You stood your ground and it only took seven bags. Not bad. I know I said you need to stand your ground but I think it is important that you evade as well, pick your battles as you did then. You dodged the first blow in favour of blocking the second. That takes good judgment especially in the heat of battle. Again." Anja returned to the center of the training circle, the rings around it carved with metal borders so she could sense her place amongst them. The bags came flying again and although she still wanted to flee, her body chose fight. Her arms moved of their own accord, stopping bags and sending them aside. Her feet still moved with grace but they no longer moved away from the targets. Adrenaline flowed through her body and for a while it took point, fueling her movements and standing her ground. A shift occurred and the sand stopped flying. She sensed a stack of earth disks next to her master and reset her position. Her feet stood solid and her arms came to rest in front of her body. The disks came quicker than the sand bags and Anja ducked the first two before striking at a third with a kick. The disk shattered into a powder and was removed as a concern. The next disk was aimed at her chest and she spun back into position before raising her right hand to punch through the disk. Another two shot towards her and she dropped her weight to her right leg, bending it at the knee before spinning in a circle and striking with a quick jab. Anja regained her stance as the final disk flew her way. She was unsure of how she did it, but she reached out with her left hand and spun, bringing the disk with her before releasing it in the direction it came from. She felt Toph stiffen and clenched her left hand, bringing it down, the move stopped the disk and it fell to the floor with an echo. Silence deafened the two and neither wanted to step forward and break it. Anja breathed deeply before pulling off the blindfold. She was hesitant to meet Toph's eye since she nearly hit her with an earth disk but forced her chin up. The woman's face was harsh and rigid and Anja wished she had left the blindfold where it was. Toph stepped forward and raised her right hand up, brining the disc to hover above her palm and spin. She looked to Anja with sternness in her eyes, feeling the girl become more and more tense.

"Definitely," She was harsh, even abrasive to an extent. "You are definitely a prodigy." Toph's harsh mask filtered away and a teasing grin claimed its place. "Anja, you did brilliantly just now and have earned a good night's sleep. Come on, I'll walk you home." Toph sent the disc flying to the net at the other end and approached gently, placing a tender arm over Anja's shoulder.

"That wasn't funny Toph." She warned, trying to keep the relief out of her tone.

"It was a little funny. I could feel the tension and fear. It was almost visible. Admit it, it was funny." Toph poked her side repeatedly with her free hand until the girl squirmed out of her grasp.  
"Fine. A little." Anja released a gentle laugh and Toph gave her one of her many curious expressions. "What is it Sifu?"

"What is she like? I know Jaya and you so I can imagine, but what was your mother like?" Anja was taken by the sincerity of the question and almost fumbled her steps, should she break her word to Jaya and tell the truth behind her cover?

"Eccentric but she was the pinnacle of kind. Never pressured me and rarely mentioned earthbending to me. I grew up thinking I was a nonbender and here I am earthbending. But she never forced me to try it, never made me feel like she was disappointed. Never made me feel like she would have preferred a bender. She let me live the life I wanted for as long as she could. Then I met Jaya and things changed. I joined the Lotus and discovered that I was actually a bender. Although it might have been easier if she forced me to realise my bending, I'm glad she didn't because then I might not be who I am now." Toph returned her arm to Anja's shoulder.  
"I am too, I wouldn't change this for the world." Toph squeezed her lightly before removing her arm.

"Toph, how old are you?" Anja gave her a sideways glance, measuring the expression on Toph's face.

"Sixteen. Only three years difference." Toph smiled gently. The two kept walking through the quiet streets. "What is Republic City like?" Her voice grew quiet and Anja had to pause to look at her, questioning the motive behind the question. Toph had retreated into herself slightly but Anja could see it in her eyes. She asked about her mother, then about the city. Moku, Jaya and Toph had never mentioned the woman who should be her aunt and it was quite obvious that the young of this city want nothing but to leave. Anja offered her a reassuring hug before taking her hand.  
"It is beautiful. Buildings that are 30 stories high decorate the skyline, and at night they all light up giving the city a golden glow. It does block the stars some but the view is worth it. I lived on Yue Bay, my window faced Air Temple Island and Aang Memorial Island. I always felt safe with him standing guard you know? And in the bay below spirits of every colour dance through the air and sometimes they come up close if you're kind. There is a few that like the Air Temple though. Bumju stays there and plays with the bison and some of the others tease the novices in the mornings." Toph absorbed every word with a sense of wonder in her eyes, she smiled with ease and Anja had to return it. She lowered her voice slightly and squeezed Toph's hand before continuing; "You should come back with me when I finish here." Toph faltered in her step, hesitating before stopping completely before a door. "Here we are, Anja." She turned to her younger cousin, the same wonder still in her eyes. "If you like I might start taking the spiritual lesson once a week. But only if you give the ok since they are for you." Toph gave a shy smile before swiping the loose strands of hair that had fallen into her eyes.

"I would like that greatly Sifu Toph." Anja bowed low and smiled softly before turning and opening her door. She gave her greetings to Jaya who was lazing on a couch before turning for her room and closing the door. She slipped off her tunic and found some sleep pants. Dressed in a singlet and her pants she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	9. A Duel and a Bet

"Places everyone. Lets go!" Toph's voice rang out across the arena she had been training Anja in for the last 14 months. A crooked grin worked its way into place on Anja's lips and she raised her right foot a few centimeters before slamming it down to gage the locations of her pursuers. Toph's form shifted with graceful subtlety and moved to launch a rock at Anja's feet. She swerved instinctively and shifted the ground under her attackers feet, causing a severe disturbance to the Earthbender's stance. Her second pursuer used this time to launch her own attack and sent a rockalanche styled move. This threw off her own balance and allowed Toph the time to reset for her next attack. Toph and Jaya circled her together, waiting and anticipating the next attack. Anja's grin wavered slightly before she took her gamble. This move had to be precise in order to win the spar. She crouched and spun in a quick circle before jumping in the air with a boulder at her feet. She forced her feet down to sent the boulder back to the earth with a slight earthquake. She landed gracefully and moved reflexively to avoid the blow Toph had thrown at her. Jaya and Toph continued their circle on shaky feet as Anja waited for their position to be perfect. Jaya stepped cautiously before she took the place Anja was waiting for. Toph and Jaya launched their attacks together and Anja grinned easily before falling flat to the earth and down into it. The two attacks collided filling the arena with dust and she shot back to the surface. The force from the collision and the dust had thrown off the balance of her attackers and Anja made her final strike. With a calculated force she punched hard and fast into the arena floor sending the earth all around her into chaos. Jaya and Toph lost their footing before being even realizing she had attacked. Anja laughed lightly as she felt their bodies lying in the arena and held her hands high.

"And the winner of the 166th Earth Rumble is Anja! Thank you, thank you." She laughed lightly before bringing her hands down to her stomach and stomping with her left foot to clear the dust. She tugged her blindfold down and gazed about at her aunt and cousin. Jaya stared at her with an odd expression as her hand rose to the back of her neck in a sheepish manner, while Toph just stood and clapped slowly.

"Well I for one am more than a little embarrassed at how quickly you managed to win that. Maybe I need to get out in the field a little more." Jaya's tone was playful but Anja could feel the truth in her words.

"Pupil Anja, that was brilliant, form was an 8/10 and decisiveness was definitely a 9.5. We might make a master out of you yet." Toph came forward to embrace her tightly, pride evident in her grin. "What do you say to dinner tonight with us? Dad has been nagging me to invite you for at least a month. Plus it was my birthday two months ago and you _both_ forgot!" Anja looked at her with a curious affection before glancing passed her to Jaya who was still on the ground.  
"Well as much as I would like to, my _guardian_ would have to join us, so only if she says yes." Anja smirked at Jaya waiting for her response. Jaya perked at the mention of herself and lowered her eyes at her niece.  
"Something tells me even if I say no we'd be joining you anyway. I'll see you two later then." Jaya pulled herself up and headed home while Toph pulled Anja along excitedly for the rest of their lesson.

The two made their way to Toph's studio and Anja admired how much she had grown to like the girl in front of her. Though barely three years separated the two Anja couldn't help but feel relief that those years existed. The pressure of being the Avatar was not something she would wish on this wonderful, carefree woman who, even in her strong willed, headstrong sense of self, still retained a childlike innocence. Not for the first time she thought of how fate had not seen their positions reverse, Anja couldn't even begin to imagine if she were the one training her Avatar cousin to earthbend or help her to realise her destiny to its full potential while simultaneously undergoing duties of a White Lotus member.

"Yuan for your thoughts An?" Toph poked her gently in the side before sliding open the door to her studio.

"Just considering the level that fate intertwines with our choices and how much it influences events is all." Anja smirked sidelong at her before walking over to the training circles in the far end.

"Well, if that's all then." She laughed lightly before taking her place at the head of the circles. Anja took her stance before moving to lift the sash from her neck back to her eyes. "Wait, leave it off. You've basically mastered seismic sense. Now its time to learn to use it in conjunction with your own eyes." Toph raised the two earth disc stacks either side of her. Anja tentatively let the sash fall back to her neck.  
"Are you sure Sifu?" Her voice was light and meek.

"Definitely. You've come far Anja, and very quickly. Frankly, you'll be done here in a few short months. I would estimate your mastery exam could take place in no less than four months. All we have between now and then is sparing constantly as well as removing the blindfold. Earth is a simple element at heart." Toph nodded sharply and Anja returned to her stance, legs shaking slightly with nerves.

Toph began the drill and launched disc after disc at Anja. Some she blocked effortlessly but the majority she swirled around, allowing them to sail into the net behind her. She was just getting into the swing when she stepped wrong and an alarm rang through the studio. Anja panicked and jumped back before turning to her Master who, incidentally, was laughing ridiculously.

"Toph? What just happened?" Adrenaline still raced through her blood and Anja stood on edge regarding the woman before her who clutched her stomach from laughter.

"You left the main ring. The metal activates a pressure switch, which sounds the alarm. I forgot to tell you about that." She managed the explanation through heaving breaths and gasping laughter. Eventually Toph managed to calm herself and stood tall, a mask of euphoria still evident on her face. "Should have seen your reaction, priceless. You need to stand your ground more. The black circle and inner ring are your territory; defend them. This round I want you to block every disc." Toph reclaimed her stance and her expression turned more serious. Anja wove her way back to the black circle before taking her stance and preparing for the discs to fly at her.

They came one after the other, flying towards her like a flock of ravenous Black Eel-swans. She breathed deeply before moving her limbs. The first volley she blocked effortlessly, punching through the discs with several quick jabs. The second came harder but were more spread out. The first few were easily dealt with but the next came hard and fast at her head. Anja sidestepped the blow before reaching for the disc and spinning, directing it back towards the oncoming cluster. The discs exploded together and allowed Anja a moment's peace before the next volley was approaching. These were even quicker and were all over the shop. Several came at chest height while others flew at her feet and knees. She moved instinctively to control the discs. The ones at chest height were easy jabs but the simultaneous attack at her head and feet was a trickier situation. With out thinking she slid her left leg backwards and dragged her right fist down heavily. The disc at her head changed course and crashed into the two aimed for her knees and feet, finishing the third volley. She stood tall waiting for the next attack; several discs all came to her at once directed all over her body. Anja skipped forwards and brought her hands in front, right taking point. Her right circled down while her left curved up. The discs stopped mid air and spun together like a ring before Anja clenched her hands and stepped back, directing her arms at the net behind her. The rings flew together easily and hit the net together, falling still at the bottom. She turned to face her master to await further instructions but the woman just stood casually, the earth discs from her sides either in the net or in the rubble around Anja's feet.

She shook her head lightly, a gentle grin in place. "Prodigy. I called it. Alright next round I want you to dodge all of them, but stand your ground and remain within the white circle. Blind fold on for these." Anja nodded sharply and returned the sash to her eyes. Toph bent two knew stacks that felt slightly odd in comparison to the usual ones but she ignored the sensation. The discs came relatively lightly and she developed a good feel for the motions, dancing through the circle effortlessly and easily. Toph sped up slowly, sending the discs faster and faster. Sweat began to form on the young Avatar's back and her breathing became shorter. Dodging the discs was a second nature but Toph wasn't making it easy on her. Finally the last disc came flying at her head and Anja had no time to dodge the blow. She struck out with her right hand and forced the disc to stop in it. Fearing the wrath of her master Anja stood herself and removed the blindfold to face her, disc still in hand. Toph was not angry, per se but her expression made her look as if she was going to explode. The two shared a tense silence before Toph leapt into the air and cheered, punching the empty space above her.

"Yeah Anja! Jaya owes me 50 yuans." She stood tall, smiling easily before Anja took it upon herself to ask what she was talking about.

"Wait, what?" She walked forward slowly to check her Master's sanity.

"That disc in your hand is not earth. It's a meteorite disc, by stopping it like that you have began the first foray into Metalbending and might I add, stood your ground exceptionally well. Jaya bet me 50 yuans that I couldn't train you to metalbend." Anja shifted nervously.

"Wait, so what if I didn't stop the disc, I would have just broken my hand?"

"Of course not, I was following it carefully, ready to change the disc's course if you couldn't, but from the way you anticipated the other discs I knew you could do it. Come over here, we have a dinner to get to Anja." Toph took a few steps towards her before stopping and allowing Anja to close the distance. "Fair warning, grandmother darling is a real stick in the mud. Try not to let her get you down, after all tonight is a celebration. My student is but months from Mastery, the quickest and best I've ever trained. And I am not biased or anything." Toph brought her arm around Anja's shoulders and gave them a playful squeeze. Anja laughed and poked her ribs lightly.

"Well thank you, Sifu Toph. I was lucky enough to have a great teacher." Toph returned with boisterous laugher before her expression turned mysterious.

"Say Anja, we have a slight tradition here upon mastery that a student must undergo, that being said my only students up until now have been Beifongs. What do you say to taking part in it?" A troublesome glint decorated her eyes.

"Does it involve streaking the estate because no. I want no part of that." The pair continued out of the studio and up towards the main house.

"No, but depending on certain factors you might need to strip and it might hurt a little." The gleam spread to the rest of her face and Anja's curiosity was triggered.

"Well, now you've got my attention, stripping _and_ pain? I guess I am a little interested but can you tell me more before I decide?" Her tone was sarcastic but Toph got the sense that she was actually interested. She rolled her eyes and smirked.

"Of course, after your exam but once you are in you can't back out. I just needed a heads up before I organize the _materials_." She savoured the last word dangerously in a way that appealed to Anja more than it should have. This tradition was surely something that would otherwise get her into trouble, if Jaya or her mother found out.

**AF:**** Hey guys, sorry for the long wait on this chapter. 10 should be up pretty quickly as we work our way from earth into fire. Thankyou to all those reading this and a special thanks to those who review it and help me make Anja's tale happen.**


	10. -Family- Reunion

Anja felt Jaya tense beside her as she shifted from casual Guardian mode into her rigid, glacial Lotus Master mode. She could almost sense the change as Jaya locked herself behind barriers, as if when the Lotus Master entered, emotion and warmth simply evaporated. They stood together before the grand doors of the Beifong estate, Anja rising above her shoulders. Though the two stood shoulder-to-shoulder and mere centimeters apart, they may as well have been in the Poles, the whole world standing between them. Jaya stepped forward and knocked, the jarring sound ringing through the house and echoing in each direction. Footsteps sounded through the door, growing in volume and intensity before the door was wrenched open. Before them stood a tall woman adorned in basil coloured robes decorated with silver metal and hints of juniper. Anja took her in slowly, her graying hair held the ghost of a brown so dark it might be mistaken for black and flecks of iron rimmed her sage irises. Now that she took her in Anja felt an odd and irritating sense of familiarity with Raja and the crooked, teasing scowl that worked into her lips as she spoke.

"So nice of you to join us with your pet. Come, come you're late as it is. Dinner will be any moment." She turned and the dark robes fluttered behind her, making every step seem as if she were floating. Anja scrunched her nose in irritation but followed wordlessly, fighting hard to stop Raja getting to her. The door slammed loudly behind them, blocking the last of the dying rays from the sun.

The three walked through several artificially lit corridors in a strained silence. Jaya remained cold but Raja had an odd aura about her, tinges of dark red and purple decorated its edges in a barely tangible manner. Anja ignored it and kept pace with her, shaking off the feeling. After an eternity they passed through a grand archway into a dining hall. At its center proudly stood a long steel table set for five places, two of which were already occupied. As they entered Toph's eyes shot to Jaya's momentarily before moving to Anja's, giving her a gentle grin and brief sense of encouragement. Moku and Toph sat opposing each other, each with an empty seat beside them. The fifth place was set at the table's head and had clearly been occupied temporarily. Raja returned to her place before Jaya took the one beside Moku, leaving Anja to the seat at Toph's left. She took it uneasily, marginally comforted by the hand that came to squeeze her leg lightly. Raja lifted the spoon from her placemat and twirled it delicately in her fingers, turning her face to Anja.

"So child, you're a United Republic one correct?" Disgust lurked at the back of her eyes.

"Yes Ma'am. Born and raised." Anja worked forcibly to keep her voice light, the woman's grating tone running along her nerves.

"How is the City? I haven't personally been but given that two of my children reside there _maybe_ it's worth the trip." Her tone grew lazy; making it evident she had no true interest in the place.

"The same as any other place in truth. Only difference is it isn't confined to the traditions of any one nation. It's as if those who founded it created new traditions for a new nation. It isn't Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, Northern, or Southern Water Tribe, or even Air Nomad. It is an odd congregation of each that has changed into something else entirely." Anja gazed thoughtfully into the woman's eyes, searching amongst waves of annoyance and abrasion for the source of her familiarity.

"Sounds boring in all honesty. Like just another state with a few migrants tossed in. It isn't so simple to toss away the traditions of the land." She shifted from Anja across to Jaya, who remained still and unresponsive.

"Durjaya Beifong your rudeness is astounding, I raised you to be more respectful than this. How is your sister?" Raja eyed her carefully.

"That is not my name." She stated simply before turning to face her mother, the ice shooting daggers through her eyes. "And Mae is doing well. Happily married with a young son, no thanks to you. You might know that if you bothered."

"It is the name I gave to you and so shall it stay your name where I am concerned. What of the daughter she had? There was one wasn't there? Similar age to this girl you have brought into my city." Raja poked lightly, analyzing each slight move of Jaya's. Anja flinched but watched the exchange just as carefully.

"Dhatri is the child I presume you refer to, she was given refuge with Mae until she turned ten. At that age she chose to become an acolyte and joined the Air Nomads." Jaya held her calm under her mother's gaze with a pained patience. Anja could sense that she was bordering the edge of her rope.

"Odd don't you think Moku, that both Durjaya and Mae come into guardian roles of two girls practically the same age, at practically the same time. Say child, how was it you came into Durjaya's care in the first place." A gleam hinted in her glare and Anja swallowed heavily. Toph and Moku remained as silent as Jaya had earlier, Toph stiffening slightly before moving to interrupt. Anja held back a smirk and nudged her before approaching the question delicately.

"She saved my life, Ma'am. Dhatri and I grew up together as our houses were next to each other. Jaya was a friend of my father and was visiting that night. I had gone to bed just before she left, but then an explosion flared through our house and spread to Dhatri's. The flames tore the house very quickly and Jaya barely had time to save me, my parents both died in that fire." She paused for dramatic effect, wiping a fake tear before continuing in shaky breaths, "Dhatri's parents were just as unlucky. As Jaya got me out her father came out of their house carrying Dhatri. He brought her over to Jaya, asking her to keep her safe before rushing back in for his wife, neither of them made it out. I was about four at the time, Dhatri was closer to three. And, if it pleases you Ma'am, my name is Anja." She lifted a sleeve to her nose gently before setting her hand on the table and looking back to Raja with heavy eyes, she took in a deliberate, deep breath and continued to fabricate her story. "Mae and Jaya gave us refuge. Jaya could only take one so she got me, and asked Mae and her husband to care for Dhatri. I owe her my life." Her hands knotted on the table while annoyance flickered in Raja's features; clearly she was hoping to catch a lie. Her expression shifted slightly before she changed the topic, the same starting gleam hiding in her gaze.

"That is a relief then. I was hoping you hadn't been brainwashed into leaving, it is not a nice feeling to be discarded by your own children. "Anja," She toyed with the two syllables slightly before continuing. "One would assume it's from the more traditional 'Anju' meaning 'living in heart.' It is a tribute to the love a mother has for her child. What was your mother like Anju?" Jaya stood heavily, forcing her chair roughly to the ground. Her eyes pierced Raja's dangerously, a sense of warmth returning to her. Toph dropped her hand quickly to Anja's knee to keep her still.  
"It is even less nice to be treated as dolls Anja." She spat roughly before storming from the room, roughly forcing through the servers as they came through with the meal.

"Ignore Durjaya. That one has always been rather difficult. Go on, your mother, tell me about her." The serving team left a little shaken with the silver dish lids and the items that had decorated Jaya's place. Anja puzzled lightly before hardening her gaze, deciding she would not play the woman's game.

"I do not know Ma'am. I was four when she passed, Jaya is the only mother I've known and I thank the spirits for her each day. She gave me a home when no one else would and gave me love when I had no one else who could. Jaya raised me to be kind, respectful and to treat the spirits as I would treat myself. It is because of her I choose the Lotus, they gave me a family." Raja seemed perplexed at her answer, the others remaining silent.

"Yes I was curious of that. You were what, thirteen on arrival? A bit young aren't you?" Anja held her eyes to Raja's, refusing to let her win.

"The Lotus does not discriminate Ma'am, as long as you have guardian consent. I had to nag Jaya for months as it was, she didn't want me to think I had to join the Lotus because of her. I signed up to be a spiritual leader and now I am here, mastering a part of myself I had not known to exist."

"Well isn't that a lovely little adventure then. Tell me child, how familiar are you with the game of chess?" Raja clasped her hands together, resting her elbows on the arms of her seat. Anja raised an eyebrow in a quizzical manner.

"I'm would say limited, I know Pai sho but I haven't heard of chess."

"'Tis a shame then. It is a game of wits and strategy born from war. You play on a board of 64 squares, half black, half plain arranged in checks. There are two players and you both have 16 pieces. Eight pawns for footmen, two rooks for chariots, two knights as cavalry, two bishops and a King and Queen. The game is won by forcing your opponent into 'checkmate', which is a situation when the King has no moves left to escape death.

"It is moderately ironic though I'm afraid. The King is the most useless piece on the board, yet the game is won with his end, and the most powerful piece is his advisor, the Queen. It is an ancient game built on ancient values, but believe me child there is a reason the Queen was the most powerful piece on the board and it is won with the death of the King."

"Forgive me, but I have no clue what you're talking about." Anja shook her head lightly, confusion knitting her brows together.

"Sometimes it isn't the life or the death of a soldier that makes the biggest difference Anju." She stood and stretched slowly, releasing a tired groan as bones popped into place. "It has been a pleasure young one but the day grows old and frankly so does this conversation, I'm afraid I must excuse myself. I trust Moku or Toph will assist you on finding your way home."

Anja waited patiently as the woman left, gliding along the floor with ease and grace. Her robes danced about her form as they disappeared from view and the air in the room lightened drastically. Moku breathed a sigh of relief and his shoulders hunched slightly, Toph took an uneasy drink and relaxed in her seat. A crooked grin worked up Anja's cheeks as she turned to her.

"So next time you say stick in the mud, what you really mean is a steel beam set in a 10ft concrete foundation. Noted." The cup in her hand fell back to the table with a thud that sent juice flying as Toph choked on laughter and lychee juice burned its way through her nose. Her hand came up to cover her mouth as she met Anja's jovial expression.

"Spirits Anja! Next time wait for me to finish please. Snorting lychee juice is not pleasant." Her laughter flowed more freely and broke through the jarring silence that Raja's presence had created.

"No promises here." She grinned easily in return. Toph shook her head, a smile locked on her face.

"What was all the Ma'aming? Ma'am this, ma'am that. I am all ma'amed out!" her laugh continued to filter through.

"My mum raised me to be respectful is all. What was Jaya's deal though? I know they aren't close but she wasn't light on the dramatics." Toph's grin slowed into an awkward light smile and they were left in a small silence again, it was Moku that answered, saying his first words for the night.

"If Jaya hasn't told you then it really isn't our place to discuss. My sisters were well with in reason to make the choice they did." He sighed deeply, looking to his daughter. "Toph it's getting late, please see our guest home safely. Anja I apologise for tonight's events, feel free to join us again and make sure Jaya knows that Beifongs are always welcome here." Moku stood and bowed, not noticing the rigidity that had bloomed in the girl before him as he took his leave.

"Why the stiff posture An?" Toph poked her side gently, aiming for the ribs.

"He knows doesn't he? I thought no one but us did." She turned to her cousin, worry stitched across her features.

"No he doesn't, anything beyond titles would be a guess. He meant Jaya; she's always welcome, she hasn't returned since she left twenty years ago with Mae before she came with you. Neither of them have." She paused momentarily, her eyebrows furrowed in indecision. "Look, Father's right it isn't my place but someone should tell you, and in theory this cheats a little. After I leave tonight, wait a while before meeting me at Raava's plain." She stood slowly, pulling Anja up with her.

"Raava's plain? Why there?" Anja stretched her legs slowly before turning back to her cousin.

"You'll see. It's late and a fast trip is a good one." Toph pulled her back through the many halls and out into the night, along the winding streets lit under lamps that sent beams rocketing off the silver domes. It was a quick trip compared to usual and before she knew it, the door to one of the few places that felt like home stood tall and proud before her. "Take it easy on her An, just tell her you're going to bed."

"Will do Sifu." Toph laughed lightly at the rhyme and left Anja as she entered her home. Jaya laid waiting sprawled across the couch, glancing up slightly at her arrival. The room was bitter and stale with the smoke of a dying fire.

"Did I miss anything important?" She stated simply, moving back to the paper in her lap.

"Not overly," Anja shrugged her grey coat off, leaving it on a hook by the door. "Just a description of my mother that grated on Raja's patience, a long and boring lecture on chess and your darling mother telling me how boring I am." She sat in the chair opposite the couch where Jaya sat.

"Your mother?" She asked lightly, waiting for Anja's answer.

"Yeah, she didn't appreciate it to say the least." Anja shifted uneasily, eyeing the paper in Jaya's hands.

"Fair enough then. How did the chess talk go?" Jaya kept her eyes on the paper, too much to Anja's annoyance.

"No clue, but she made a point of saying how the Queen is the most important piece, even with the King being the Game Maker. Then she pointed out how its not always the life and death of the soldiers that makes the difference." Jaya laughed emptily, folding the paper and returning to her pocket.  
"Time doesn't change much of anything then. She was testing your aptitude. Chess is a game of constant strategy and is fought like a war. You must constantly assess your opponent and adapt your strategy accordingly. Sometimes its like she lives her life like its a chess match." Jaya stood shakily, unsteady on her feet. "Don't trust her, she's like a two headed rat viper. While you focus on one head, the other is already slowly poisoning you. Goodnight Ko... Anja, goodnight Anja." She stumbled on Anja's name and exited the room, staggering on every other step, leaving the girl only more curious for what the night's trip held for her.


	11. Durjaya Beifong

Over the countless times Anja had visited the spirit world, rarely had she been to Raava's Plain, in total she had seen it once. She focused on the faint memory of brilliant columns of light, a twisted tree and mountains as far as the eye could see until those mountains came to surround her. Toph stood facing away from her, gazing into a tree filled with flashing images. Anja stood and approached her, clearing her throat heavily before standing beside her cousin.

"I'm sure you know the Tree of Time." Her tone was pained but gentle and it carried hints of question. It took great strength to say what she was about to.

"Yes, I've studied the histories and Korra showed it to me once." Anja gazed at the visions that swirled around the tree's cavern. One vision slowly overtook the others and became prominent. Toph took her hand gently and squeezed it before releasing it.

"Then you should know those visions are my memories. I asked you here to show one in particular, Jaya's story. You're going to see Jaya telling me her story, this vision is why she left and why she never came back. This vision is everything, it's the essence of why Jaya is _Jaya. _To be fair to my father, this isn't me telling you, per se. Its Jaya telling me, and you piggybacking the memory." Anja turned her head on a slight angle, regarding Toph with the oddest of expressions.  
"So I am basically eavesdropping. That doesn't seem right some how." Toph laughed a dry, empty sound before she replied.

"Yes, basically. It wouldn't be the first time though Anja. Can you hear anything right now? From the vision."

"No." She replied simply, returning her eyes to the translucent swirl of colour and light. She felt Toph move to stand behind her and hands press into her shoulders.

"Alright then, kneel please." Anja followed the command and knelt on the ground, barely feeling it on her knees. "Clear your mind and focus only on the vision." She tilted her head back up to the tree and noticed pale slender hands hovering in the periphery of her sight. They hovered for a few moments before pressing into her temples and sound flooded her mind. Silver eyes shot back to the tree and the conversation between Jaya and Toph began to align itself in time the voices in her head.

"I know this day." Anja stated simply, recalling the tree that the two were seated under, the colours of the sky and gentle song of the wind.

"Yes, this is the day you started earthbending in earnest. This took place moments after you left us." Toph's voice broke through the vision, halting it as she spoke before continuing again as she stopped.

Jaya paced drastically before taking a seat with Toph's vision self. Anja eyed her slowly, taking in the differences in the Jaya that sat before her, absorbing the way her shoulders seemed lower than usual, how her posture had cracked, the exhaustion that riddled her body, but above all she noticed how her own exit brought on these changes, as if her presence physically pained the woman before her.

"Aunt Jaya," the words rolled off Toph's tongue carefully, drawn out microseconds longer than they should have been as mountain ranges rose up on Toph's forehead. Jaya moved at the sound of her name but barely acknowledged it, she twisted and turned her body until she managed comfort, she lay on her back with her arms behind her head and her eyes drifting gently, from a distance one would assume she had fallen asleep. The mountains shifted and Toph's pale eyes locked on to her target, resolve taking the place of confliction. "Why did you leave?" Anja watched on as Jaya's entire body petrified, her eyes remained open but motionless, her chest stopped heaving in time with her breaths, the only motion left being in the trees and the grass. For many moments she remained this way, as still as the calm before a storm, it took a long time before the stone exterior gave way to one simple sentence and one long, drawling sigh.

"You deserve to know." Her eyes stayed locked on the sky, drifting occasionally to various structures but never turning to whom she was supposed to be addressing. "It started twenty-five years ago. I was called Durjaya, _difficult to conquer_. I was a different person back then, in almost every way imaginable. I got along well with my older siblings Mae and Moku, though I idolized Mae. She was brilliant at everything and mother dearest adored her, her only daughter. Mae and I grew a lot closer than I did with Moku and she was the first one that I spoke to about my problems. When I told her she cried at first, happiness or sadness I still don't know, and she looked at me with this expression, her eyes were huge and her lips trembled. I was terrified, I thought she would scream for our mother and tell me never to go near her again. But she didn't. Mae pulled me into a hug that warmed every part of my soul, she wiped the tears that fell from my cheeks and looked at me with a gentle smile filled with pride. Her lips graced my forehead for a brief moment before she lifted a soft hand to cup my cheek. I always admired how she managed to be soft, as earthbenders we don't usually get that luxury. She ran her thumb across my cheek and said something I will never forget. 'Welcome to the family, Jaya Beifong. _Kebahagiaan tidak senang, itu kemenangan_.' I'm sure you know the tradition, when a child of the Earth Kingdom is born, they are christened with their name? That's what Mae was doing, Happiness is not a pleasure, it is a _victory_. Jaya meaning Victory. Any way, after Mae, we spoke to Moku together, and he repeated the phrase. Raja was no quite as forgiving, she wasn't named _the tigress_ for nothing. She refused what I said but she also said something I would never forget and that nothing in this world would make me forgive.

"Durjaya you listen and you listen well. You are not a girl and you won't ever be. You were born my son and you shall die my son. Durjaya Girilal, you are the unconquerable son of the mountain. _Tidak peduli bagaimana angin lolongan, gunung tidak bisa membungkuk untuk itu._" Toph's form moved from her lazed seating position to standing angrily over Jaya in a swift, speedy move, the clouds over the tree hummed with electricity and the sky faded from turquoise to a dangerous shade of grey, ready to be sliced through with bolts of lightning.

"She said _what_? 'No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it?' How can anyone be so infuriating! As if it wasn't enough that she blatantly disrespected you, her own child might I add, but she completely dismissed you and insulted you by repeating Durjaya's christening. I hope you slapped her Jaya, I really do." A faint smile quirked at Jaya's lip before they moved to form a string of words.

"I should have, but I didn't. I was an eleven-year-old kid Toph, raised to believe that mothers are always right, that they _always_ know best. I let her words control me, Jaya the eleven year old girl with bright eyes and hope for feeling normal in her own skin left and I told myself I was broken, that the thought I could be a girl was insanity, and for the longest time I let myself believe that. I broke myself down until there was nothing for years, five of them to be precise, that was when I met your mother, Sora, _Orang yang akan membuka pintu untuk cahaya_."

"The one who will open the door to the light." Vision Toph looked wistful, traces of moisture coating her eyes in a glassy sheen.

"That's the one. And she did that for me, broke through the shell I had built around myself and let light back into my heart, and I fell in love with her, boy did I fall. Sora gave me hope again and I thank the spirits for her every day I wake up. She helped me to feel alive again, but most importantly, she made me want to live again. Sora helped me to realise that I wasn't broken, I just wasn't 'the typical green collar stiff'. It was a few months later that I noticed the ring, it was a gold piece with an emerald set amongst it, the fine craftsman ship was Mae's and the design was Moku through and through. I knew they had been courting but it just caught me by surprise. That day was when I decided my future was far beyond the walls of Zaofu. Then came Mae's birthday a few months after, her eighteenth name day and mother arranged her a marriage as a gift, he was quite easy on the eyes and overall seemed a nice man but Mae refused to be traded to some stuffy politician's son like a concubine. She gave her apologies to Daruk and spent the remainder of the night in my room using words that I will not repeat to you to describe our mother. After the first hour I couldn't take it anymore and screamed at her to stop talking. She froze and looked at me, Mae was ready to explode Toph, she was named well. _Sebuah hati yang baik yang harus ditakuti bila rusak_, 'A good heart to fear when damaged.' I looked her in the eye and said words I have never regretted. "Let's just leave, Mae." And we did.

"That night we got a few bags together, wrote goodbyes to Moku and Sora, and left. We headed west to the Port of Gaoling* and boarded a ship headed for the Fire Nation. As Metalbenders we had unique trade skills and used that as our payment. We left at Fire Fountain City and made our way from there to Forgetful Valley." Anja and vision Toph drew in a breath together, tension filling the air as Jaya continued, her eyes still locked on the space above her.  
"Sora told me the myth of the Mother Of Faces when she first started to spend time at the estate, since no one had seen the Mother in over a hundred years, they had believed her dead but I held out the hope that she was alive, that she could help me. We found the forest a few days early but the markings were all there, the birds had faced drawn across their wings and trees held canopies that put many arenas to shame. We picked the pool with the fewest markings out of hope and spent several nights there before a wolf bathed in the face markings came through our camp. He nuzzled at my leg until I woke before walking off into the forest. Mae was asleep but I took my chances and followed the wolf, he lead me to a different pool, one that was not a part of the Mother's legend and as the moon rose at its fullest to the center of the sky, she rose from the pool in a glimmering display. Water crystals fell from her form catching the light and casting it all around before they rejoined the pool with out so much as a sound or ripple. She looked to me as I always dreamed Raja would, as if she was proud that I belonged to her. When she spoke it was a chorus of a thousand voices but it was the most beautiful thing I have heard.

"Jaya Beifong, my wolf has brought you to me because he believes you to be worthy of the gift I bring to humans. Tell me why you want a new face and identity child, and if you prove yourself I will grant it." I didn't know what to do or to say but a part of me deep down took over; it was like I watched the whole event, not took part in it.

"Mother," I said to her, in the strongest voice I could manage. "Those are not what I seek. I came to you because I hoped your power could help me, I do not wish to change who I am, just my form so it reflects who I am. I was born Durjaya Girilal Beifong youngest son to Raja and Ilesh. But as I grew up I came to realise this is not who I was on the inside, I was Jaya Beifong, a girl at heart. I came to this valley out of the hope I would find you and that you would gift me with the form I was supposed to have." The Mother's eyes widened and the ghost of a smirk formed at her lips. She turned to me; anger I think, was in her faces but her tone didn't reflect it.  
"You dared to come to this sacred place with the intent of blaspheming the work of the spirits? You are brave young one, brave yet naïve, the spirits do not make mistakes," Fear spread through my body when she said this, I thought she'd smite me then and there but she just continued to speak. "But I do understand why my wolf brought you here, you possess great courage and a stubborn heart that is destined for greatness. This is the first step in your journey, though the spirits do not make mistakes they often misstep to test the resolve of humans." Light began to emanate from her form and it flared across my eyes blinding me. It was searing across my skin and for a small moment I thought she was bluffing and that she was going to kill me. But the light faded and she stood tall and proud before me, her faces were soft and her eyes glimmered with an expression that gave me such a sense of ease. I trusted her every word, I wanted to obey her every wish.

"Go forth," She told me. "Go forth Jaya of the Beifong line, _kebahagiaan tidak senang, itu kemenangan_. Take this victory and fulfill the destiny you have awaiting my daughter." And then she vanished back into the pool without a trace. The wolf gave a small bark before heading back into the forest, I followed him through trees and bushes that clawed at my clothes, along a path that could only really be seen after travelling it several times. He led back to the campsite where Mae slept deeply and soundlessly. The wolf bowed his head and I knelt to pat him in thanks. He gave my cheek a gentle, wet lick before turning and padding his way into the pool. I glanced over to the surface to see where he had gone but only my eyes stared back, they were set in a face that was mine but it also wasn't. Several parts were similar but some were entirely new, the masculine edge to my jaw had softened and my cheeks had changed slightly to reflect a more feminine stature. The Mother of Faces granted my wish, I couldn't have asked for anything more in that moment, sheer bliss filled me.

"After that Mae and I headed for Republic City, Toph- the original Toph, helped to build the place so together we chose it to build our new lives. About three weeks after we left Forgetful Valley there was an unfortunate and slightly awkward incident where Mae had to describe the quirks that come with being a female, I think I made a comment along the lines of 'this is every month?' and she laughed hysterically at me, but it was nothing in the grand scheme. We found a small place together and opened a shop that sold blades that I crafted and jewelry that Mae crafted. After a year our shop began to take off so I joined the United Forces, then Mae met and married Li and for a while everything was going really well. Mae became pregnant and a few years later we discovered that Anja was the Avatar. We had considered the possibility since she were born within the week after Korra's death but she hadn't shown the signs of a bender, but since she was a candidate she took the tests, all of them mind you, and there was no doubt she was the one. I left the United Forces and sought out a Lotus recruiter, one easy game of Pai Sho later I was entering the most ancient secret society in existence. I trained to be Anja's spiritual guide and to protect her at all costs, one of those was returning to Zaofu. Moku found us about seven years after Anja's birth, around the time Mae was pregnant with her son. He told us about you and your skill, how you idolized the crazy king Bumi and the elders from Aang's legend. Somewhere along he mentioned your desire to join the lotus and I mentioned that training a non-bending earthbender might be a good idea as entry one day. He thought I was crazy but understood when I told him about Anja, at least that she was the avatar, I still don't think he knows she's Mae's. Then here we all are, you training the avatar, I am also but in a city I detest with a woman who denies my existence." Her gaze stayed on the sky though her expression was no longer neutral.  
"Jaya," Toph stated simply before taking one of her hands gently. "If I was your mother, I would be proud to call you my daughter. As it is I'm pretty glad you're my aunt. Growing up you were sort of my hero." Jaya's eyes flicked to hers with a light tint of amusement.

"And to think I thought Moku was teasing when he said that." She laughed lightly before sitting up to face Toph and the vision blurred until the woven branches of the twisted tree were all that remained. Anja felt Toph's hands remove from her temples and she paced lightly around Anja to face her cousin.

"And now you know Anja." Toph's tone was entirely neutral in a way that made Anja want to grasp her shoulders and shake her, instead she just sat where she was gazing into the pitch coloured ground.

"I wish she told me, I can't believe I hurt her so much, the pressure that she feels just being around me. She changed her life for me Toph and I haven't even thanked her for it." Toph shifted in her stance until she knelt before Anja, lifting her face with a tender touch.

"You can't thank her for something you didn't know An. But you know the way her entire body changed when you left, that wasn't because you put pressure on her. When my mum was dying, she was always cheerful. She was lovely. Except when she thought no one could see. I saw her once, she looked as if the world was crushing her. Jaya does that too, she looks unhappy when she thinks we can't see her. Don't think she's doing anything she doesn't want to. I know what that means, looking sad when you think people can't see. She doesn't want to make this journey any harder for you. The love she has Anja, it is unparalleled in the world."

**A/N: This is not the final edit of this chapter, since I am writing about an experience I have not undergone myself I don't want to misrepresent the trans community. If there is anything I have gotten completely wrong or left out please let me know so I can adjust this chapter and later ones accordingly. Thanks.**

***Just a note on where I think Zaofu is, one of the maps that follows The Last Airbender travels is what I get my location from. There is a valley to the east of Gaoling that is bordered by mountains to the north and south, with a river on the eastern side. To the north of this point is the Misty Palms Inn and the Si Wong Desert. I'll link later on to a post describing it in more details. Thanks for reading Anja's journey with me.**


	12. The Final Test

Light filtered softly and easily through the vast windows of Toph's studio, lighting up the space and reflecting off of the metal equipment and the sweat that glittered on the skin of the two young women who trained within it. Cables flew wildly lashing out between the two before retracting into their cases. Toph and Anja circled each other with menacing intent, each trying to out last the other. Toph struck once more to overthrow her opponent, her cable coiling its way around Anja's ankle before catching her off guard and pulling her off balance. Anja's feet flew out from under her and she panted angrily at finding her self on the ground, defeated once more. A loud cheer bounced from the walls, filling the room with the sounds of victory and the joy of a young woman. Metal sparked and screeched as the two retracted their cables and stood to face each other, ending the spar.

"You're picking this up really fast Anja." She spoke lightly, with a joyous bounce to her words.

"Not fast enough, it would be nice not to lose all the time though, how am I supposed to take the exam next week if I can't even win a one on one spar?"

"You won't be sparring with only cables genius. We'll have a go later with the sparing suits and rules; you've already proved you have good reflexes and natural instincts. It's a no brainer." Toph rolled her eyes and ruffled the younger woman's hair. "On a lighter note, have you considered my offer?" Anja laughed lightly and brought her eyes to the speckled pale green ones before hers.  
"A little." She turned away to begin removing her gear, a smirk at the edge of her lips. Toph rolled her eyes, a slight lean in her stance as her arms crossed over each other.

"A _little_. A little she says, yeah-right missy. Are you in or out?" The smirk at Anja's lips grew slightly but she held her composure.

"You said you'd tell me more, until then I'm out." The smirk grew into a full-blown grin at the exasperated sounds coming from the woman behind her.

"Anja you are a pain. It's a tradition, nothing scandalous, no streaking the premises, just you and me and a few secret supplies." Her booted foot began moving sharply against the ground, tapping out a steady rhythm of impatience.

"No nudity, what a relief. Secret supplies, stripping but not streaking and a little pain? Are we getting drunk and abseiling from the domes at night or something?" Annoyed laughter sounded behind her as Toph moved to take place beside her. She began removing her own gear before continuing their conversation.

"Next time maybe, all you need to know is it's a tradition upon mastery here and when the occasion arises you will get maybe 70% choice in how it goes down."

"If I say yes will you quit badgermoling me?" Toph grinned lightly before replying.

"Sure. For today at least." Anja laughed easily and turned to leave the studio before he master called her back.

"Training isn't over Pupil Anja. Turn around and march on back." She rolled her eyes as she spun the balls of her feet, turning to face her cousin.  
"Yes Sifu?" Toph moved to a closet on the other side of the arena before drawing it open to reveal several green and white uniforms and assorted metal pieces that ranged from resembling bracelets to cable tracts.

"You have the choice of three metal items, choose them carefully and suit up." Toph held the door open and Anja took in the metal before her wondering which of the items to pick.

"Do I have to wear the robes today?" She deterred lightly to give herself more time.

"Not today. Make your choice kiddo." Toph waiting patiently, her hands fidgeting slightly as she fought the urge to tap her foot.

"Kiddo." Anja scoffed quietly before entering the closet. Eventually Anja settled for two cable reels and a thick silver piece that resembled a vambrace. She set the cables back onto her belt and locked them in place before sliding the vambrace over her right wrist and conforming it to the shape of her hand. Toph entered as Anja made her exit and chose her own equipment. It takes her a much shorter time than Anja and she exits with a long metal rod, a cable reel on her left shoulder and a band of metal on her right. A rough gesture flowed from her free hand, directing towards the arena Anja was all too familiar with. "You break anything in here and you replace it Anja." She joked lightly, though her tone carried a serious edge to it.  
"If you say so. What are the rules?" The two stood at opposite ends of the larger of the training circles, Toph began to pace uneasily, it seemed both she and Jaya shared that irritating habit.

"No dangerous headshots, All participants must remain in the arena, if you leave its an automatic fail, Participants can only bend materials with in the arena and no funny business. The spar ends when you are knocked out or defeated, or when your opponents are knocked out or defeated." She stood in the center of the arena and stamped her foot heavily, causing their ring to drop several feet. Good luck Anja."

The two circled slowly, each waiting on the other to make a move. Eventually Anja made the first attack. She punched forward and sent a small boulder for Toph, who easily deflected it with her staff. Anja tried again with a second boulder that was closely followed by a much smaller one aimed at her chest. Toph deflected both, barely breaking a sweat. She moved quickly, directing the sheets of metal from her shoulder at her younger opponent. The metal flew quickly and Anja barely had time to deflect each piece and launched her cables for Toph. They connected with her right foot and Anja pulled tight to overthrow her balance. Toph slipped but no before firing her own cable up for the beams that support the roof. She shot upwards leaving a confused yet mildly annoyed Avatar below her. Anja propelled her self up with the earth at her feet before releasing her cables and taking a solid grip on the beam. She extended the vambrace into a wrist blade and sliced easily through the thin metal, severing the cable supporting Toph, causing her to fall back towards the ground. The two shared eye contact for a brief second before they both moved to final attacks. Toph sent her staff at Anja to pin her on the roof and Anja sent the cut cable at Toph to slow her fall slightly and to alter her direction so she didn't land back in the arena. The staff caught Anja around the chest and pinned her awkwardly to the beam she was effortlessly dangling from seconds earlier. The piece of cable hit Toph in a similar manner, coiling around her middle before pushing her back a few centimeters. The spar ended rather quickly in comparison to how it started and left one member dangling awkwardly from the rafters and the other stuck to the ground above the arena.

"So Toph, how do I get down?" Her tone was breathy and a little empty, the staff tight against her ribs.

"Sorry, I've got you." She removed the coil from her stomach and lowered the staff from Anja's chest so she could slide on cables. She hit the ground on shaky feet and released a nervous laugh, still breathless from her time on the ceiling.

"That was not fun." She stated it clearly and simply, as if she were stating the day or time.

"Agreed. Next time we do that will be your exam. At least there will be others to help me pick on you."

"Are you nervous?" The woman's voice was light and distracted.  
"Not really Jaya, I'm just on edge. I want it do be over and done already." Anja tugged on her robes, pulling them into a comfier position.

"I know that feeling. What are your three metal pieces?" Jaya turned from the paper in her hands to her niece, who was stood in the middle of the living area of their shared apartment.

"Cables and the vambrace." Jaya's nose scrunched instantly at her response before returning to her paper.  
"Not cables An, everyone always goes cables. Toph will go cables, staff and a sheet band, the extras will most likely have cable reels, piece of body armor or the sheet band also. Your best bet is the sheet band, the staff and the angled sleeve. The staff is good for blocking the sheets, while the band is a quick malleable weapon. If you can disrupt their view or stance it will be your best friend. The sleeve is a mix of the vambrace and the sheet band. It extends into a blade and can be used as a weapon and is handy in tight situations." Anja stared curiously, her head tilting slightly.

"Are you allowed to tell me all this? It seems a bit like cheating." Jaya's lip quirked but her eyes stayed locked on the paper in her lap.

"Maybe, as long as I don't teach you dirty tricks I think its fine. Those shoes are no good." She scrunched the paper before tossing it in the low roaring fire and stood on wobbling legs. "Woah, head rush." Jaya laughed lightly before ducking into her room for a quick moment. She returned with a pair of black boots that looked very similar to Air Nomad shoes. "These are what you want. Don't wreck them I want them back." Anja took the shoes awkwardly before voicing the obvious.

"What makes these so special?" She unlaced her own boots before tying the new ones in place. They rose up her leg half as much as the other ones but were surprisingly comfortable.

"They are organic, no rubber or animal material. I don't know how but the Air Nomads know how to make good earthbending shoes. It's not quite as clear, but wearing those you can use seismic sense. The natural fibers react with the waves rather than blocking them like rubber does." Anja laughed as she performed the move, feeling the walls and windows of her home and Jaya standing in front of her.

"Now this has to be cheating. You've basically given me my whole strategy."

"There are no rules regarding that Anja. As long as I don't supply you with hidden blades or sneak extra metal you're fine. Have you taken off the bracelet?" Anja felt the cold metal at her wrist and shook her head, no. "Fine, hold out your hand and I'll take it off." Anja did as told and watched in awed fascination as Jaya undid the swirling clasp and slid the band of metal of her wrist.

"Do you think I'm ready for this?" her tone shook with her ragged breaths, anxiety had begun to nestle into her mind.

"Yes, easily. You can do this Anja." Jaya pulled her into a light hug before ruffling her hair, pulling some of the neat strands out of their usual place.

"Hey! No touch. Leave the bun alone." A small smile quirked at Jaya's lips before she walked over to the door, holding it open for the young woman.  
"Fine grumples, let's go make a master out of you."

The walk to the training arena was one of the longest Anja had ever taken. She took the familiar route to the Beifong home then walked right on through to the arena where she first met her earthbending master. Half a dozen people were already there, a stranger roughly her age, a year or two older perhaps, was stood beside another stranger who was a fair bit older, possibly twice that of the first one. At the edge of the arena stood Toph and three others dressed in the same robes she was. Jaya stood next to the strange boy and engaged him a quick discussion, the man beside the boy listened intently though he didn't contribute. Toph stepped away from the group of extras and she began to speak in a booming, powerful tone, introducing the exam. She gave a quick overview of the rules as she had in their earlier session. She ran through the four major rules before directing the extras and Anja towards the equipment section.

"You should already have voiced your choices to myself or Master Jaya, they are final and what you must use during the spar. I personally will be using the sheet band, vambrace and staff. Collect your equipment." Anja's heart raced in her chest as these words left Toph's lips. Her strategy with Jaya relied on the use of cables by her opponents. She watched as the three before her selected their equipment. To her relief they all took a cable reel, among other things. She approached the table carefully and contemplated changing her strategy but knew she shouldn't. She took up the three pieces, a bicep sheet band, the angled sleeve and a staff. She fastened both metal pieces to her right arm and clutched the staff lazily in her left. It felt oddly familiar in her grasp and sent a wash of calm through her, silencing her remaining concerns. Of the three stand ins for the spar, two had picked as Jaya said they would, double cables and the sheet bands while the third only had one cable reel paired with a vambrace and sheet band. The four took their positions in the arena waiting for their final member to begin the exam. Anja eyed the strangers carefully, neither bore the typical earthly features she'd slowly grown used to during her time in Zaofu. The younger's eyes were dark brown, possibly chestnut in shade. His skin was light and but she couldn't see much of his features under the hood pulled over them. He wore lotus robes but from the frown at his lips she didn't believe they were his for a second. He and Jaya were engaged in an interesting discussion so she turned her attention to the woman running the exam, the very same woman who was smirking at her most unusually. Toph laughed lightly to her self while she clipped on her sheet band, the same shoulder band as she had in their training and the vambrace, fastening it to her left wrist. She took up her staff before entering the training circle and lowering it several feet. She stood tall and proud for a relatively short woman, reaching just shy of 5"3. Her extras each took a cardinal point, leaving the southern point for Anja.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let the exam begin."

The volleys came flying from nowhere in particular, half a dozen metal shards rocketing for her chest. Anja deflected them easily before launching a large boulder from the southern wall towards Toph and the extra behind her, both sidestepping it easily. She followed it up quickly with two smaller ones directed at the east and west walls. A light layer of dust coated the area and Anja felt a little more at ease thanks to the shoes Jaya leant her. She felt Toph move back a few paces and the eastern and western grunts moved inwards. The four gathered at the north wall on the opposite side of the arena and Anja felt them move together, raising a wall the length of the arena and sending it to her, shrinking the space between the southern wall and the moving one. She moved quickly propelling herself up with assistance from the earth. She hovered above the arena for a microsecond before she felt cables lock onto her ankles and yank her down. The jarring impact stunned her for a few moments before anger started to creep in at her obvious mistake. She snatched up the staff and swung it viciously into the partition behind her, shattering it and thickening the dust cloud. A cough sounded in the distance and she took her time to calculate her next move. She had four opponents and had to either knock them from the arena or over power them for 15 seconds. She felt Toph pacing menacingly, like a sabre toothed moose lion stalking its prey, ready to pounce. Toph, she decided, needed to be taken care of first. She shot two metal sheets at the woman, locking at her bare wrist and one of her ankles. Anja moved with such speed she caught her cousin completely unaware, throwing her off completely. Her next move was much less graceful but did the trick, sealing Toph in the eastern wall. Three were left in a threatening position and Anja moved quickly with out thinking. The dust dazed them so she had the element of surprise on her side. The blade at her right hand extended half a foot beyond her finger tips. She moved slowly towards the first opponent, a woman who had chosen one cable reel. Anja removed it with her blade and set it on her belt before sending the cables towards her and circling her with them.  
"Idiots." She huffed angrily. "There isn't friendly fire in an exam." She squirmed against the cables and Anja laughed at her confusion, sending her out of the arena with an earthly push. She was left with two opponents who had double cables and vambraces. As long as she used ranged attacks the victory should be easy. She repeated the move from one of her old spars, leaping into the air with a rock at her feet, she deflected the cables coming her way before forcibly sending the rock back down. A minor quake rocked through the arena and she felt the rocks encasing Toph begin to loosen. The other two sparring partners had lost their feet in the earthquake and fought to stand and fight together. Their cables whipped blindly after Anja like the feelers on an ants head. She grabbed the set that threatened to lash at her side and pulled hard on them, dragging the man they were attached to along for the ride. He stumbled but held his feet and he began to face off with Anja. Several small boulders rocketed her way as she toed lightly, moving so she stood between the two standing opponents. The second blow she dodged made contact with a solid surface behind her and she felt the other male fall to his knees. She launched him easily from the space and let her focus fall solely on the man before her. The blade from his vambrace was out but it was nothing compared to the blade at her wrist. The man's wrist blade was thin, built for stealth and easy concealment but her blade was proud and built for combat. She held her staff loosely in her left watching the man carefully, waiting for his move. He launched his cables at her staff, seizing it and casting it out of the arena. The assault left her with the stolen cable, her blade and the sheet band at her bicep. She moved quickly, stamping heavily to drop the dust before shooting sheets at both his ankles and lifting his form into the air, dangling awkwardly from his ankles. Anja locked the metal together, binding his ankles before removing him from her arena. As he dropped to the ground the wall behind her shattered and a very unimpressed woman climbed from amongst the rubble. Toph was equipped with her vambrace and her sheet band, her staff laying lost at the end of the arena. Anja stepped lightly wishing she hadn't removed the dust so she still had a significant advantage. Anja shot her cable at Toph, who side stepped it with a lazy ease in her movement. She grabbed onto the cable and slashed at it, rendering it practically useless. The offcut coiled its way around Toph's wrist as Anja tried to think of what she should do next. The staff was too far to be of much use and she was down to only her sheets and the angled sleeve. Anja analysed Toph's movements carefully as they paced the arena together, circling, each waiting for the other to strike. Toph's footsteps were lighter than usual but she was still extremely grounded, giving Anja the answer she needed. If she was going to win she had to be quick and air born. She shot up several feet with a boulder at her left hand and sent it to Toph before following up with a few sheets aimed for her hands. The boulder sailed past and Toph deflected the sheets easily, shooting several of her own before flipping over the few Anja deflected back at her. She landed with her staff at her feet and picked it up casually, the long metal rod fitting into her hands perfectly. Anja took in an uneasy breath before making her move. She shot a few sheets from her hand before forcing the wall behind Toph to move forward into her. Toph swatted the metal but the wall caught her off guard, knocking her off her feet. Anja struck quickly, pinning Toph down and using the last of her sheets to lock her limbs in place. She raised her right hand and the blade extended slowly towards Toph's forehead.

"That's enough." Jaya called from above the arena. "Join us up here when you are done ladies. Anja sheathed her wrist before removing her cousins restraints and helping her up. The annoyed look of defeat only graced Toph's features for a small moment before fading into a gentle smile.  
"Congrats." She whispered so quietly that Anja barely heard her over the adrenaline pumping through her blood. Toph reset the arena and returned the platform to its usual position. The three stand ins stood behind Jaya looking a little worse for wear.  
"Toph Beifong, did you find your student's performance satisfactory?" Jaya eyes the young woman behind Anja, blood rushed through her body with a pounding intensity.  
"I did Master Jaya. It was not her best, her best is something you can personally attest to, but her performance today was decisive and well executed. Her strategy worked very well, especially with immobilizing myself before targeting the others. Anja has my vote." Toph brought her hands together and bowed at Jaya who returned the gesture. She turned to the older stranger beside her before voicing a similar question.  
"In your opinion, was the performance displayed satisfactory?" The man nodded sharply before stating in a husky tone.  
"She was quick and decisive under pressure and utilized the equipment at her disposal effectively. She has my vote." Jaya nodded in affirmation before turning back to Anja.  
"You already have two of three votes, making mine unnecessary. But to be fair, you displayed cunning and employed good strategy, adjusting yourself well when one plan did not work. You would have my vote Anja. Congratulations, you have officially mastered Earth."

Toph dragged Anja enthusiastically towards her studio in the distance, whooping and cheering about Anja's victory. She threw open the doors with a joyful ease and directed Anja to the second story office that rose over the gym equipment. Toph pulled her up the stairs into the cozy room that contained a standard desk and swivel chair, yet also a metal briefcase and a waste bin situated on a folding table.  
"Sit on the table please Anja," Toph directed her towards the folding piece, taking her own seat on the swivel chair.

"What is going on?" Anja's words were thick with nerves, she wasn't sure she liked where this tradition was going.  
"I'm going to give you a tattoo. The tradition I was talking about. You get to decide where, how big and any adornments to it." Toph smiled encouragingly at the young girl before her. Anja released a nervous laugh before deciding it was just a patch of ink, her mum could kill her later.  
"Alright," Her tone was still uneasy but she continued regardless. "Left collarbone, discreet but noticeable if you got me, and just leave it simple." Toph nodded in affirmation and opened the briefcase, removing the needles and ink. Anja removed her shirt so all she remained in was her dark green sports bra, one of the straps hanging loose at her shoulder to provide access to the tattoo area. Though she had hated the colour at first, the greens had slowly been growing on her. Toph cleaned the area gently before marking several details on Anja's skin. The process was slow and agonizing for both parties, Anja had to endure several pinpricks into her skin and Toph had to deal with the squirming Avatar.

"I should have made you meditate." Toph mumbled angrily under her breath as she worked through the half way mark. The characters slowly came together as she lined the carful details in each, forming the motto she and her students often used. After an hour of careful work from Toph, and nail biting patience from Anja the process was complete. The eight intricate characters worked across Anja's collarbone gently forming the words of the Beifong family.

"Fire tempers gold?" Anja asked quizzically, her brow quirking upward as she read the words that now decorated her chest. Toph nodded sharply in response.

"It's the Beifong motto, the gold represents the flying boar sigil. 'Temper us in fire, and we grow stronger. When we suffer, we survive."

_A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you for reading and putting up with the erratic posting schedule of this story. This chapter is the final chapter of her Earthly adventures, not her story. The next book will probably be a while a way because I want to get most of it done before I start updating so the plot works together better, rather than what I did with this book and how I changed certain features in already uploaded chapters. I want to give a special thanks to all who have read and reviewed Anja's journey and an extremely special thanks to my good pal Stanley who lets me bounce ideas off him and gives me inspiration to continue this story. A thousand thankyou's to you, all of you._


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